In elderly people aged 70 years with limited emphysema, life expectancy may not be affected if the other lung lobes are well compensated; in patients with diffuse emphysema, survival time may be 2-3 years. Pulmonary emphysema includes limited emphysema and diffuse emphysema. Limited emphysema means that the lesion is confined to one lobe or segment of the lung, and the patient can compensate through the adjacent lobe or segment of the lung without affecting the life expectancy. Diffuse emphysema is caused by the progressive development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the lesion is irreversible. Patients may experience dyspnea, hypoxia, cyanosis and other symptoms, and the progression may even lead to pulmonary heart disease and pulmonary encephalopathy, which seriously reduces the quality of life and survival of patients. In addition, elderly patients aged 70 may have long-term lung disease before progressing to emphysema, and timely interventions should be made to slow down the disease before progression.