A little activity on the shortness of breath, sleep at night simply can not lie down, can only sit on the edge of the bed to sleep on a small table …… such a life Lao Chen (a pseudonym) a life is five years. He has been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for many years, but his condition has not improved much, and he has been trapped in a deadly cycle of “attack – drip – remission – attack again”. What’s worse, as time went on, his lung function deteriorated, and even regular physical activities in his daily life would make him gasp for breath. Eventually, Professor Wang Changhui, head of our respiratory department, implanted three “one-way valves” in Chen’s bronchi with the help of a bronchoscope, which finally allowed the alveoli, which were extremely inflated due to the lesion, to shrink back. “I haven’t breathed this smoothly in five years.” As soon as he came out of the bronchoscopy room, Chen was busy telling his doctors, family and friends how he felt. The drugs couldn’t stop the deterioration of his condition. Not long after he started working, he was encouraged by his co-workers to form an inseparable bond with cigarettes. Although he later realized the dangers of smoking, he also tried several times to quit, but his will was never able to overcome the temptation, and finally with the “little magic stick” to accompany the forty summer and winter. Day in and day out, while bringing the pleasure of swallowing fog, but also silently eroding the health of the old Chen – from more than a decade ago, he has always been very good health suddenly began to become easy to catch a cold, the slightest carelessness in diet and living will cough and runny. In order to get rid of frequent colds, in addition to the usual attention to warmth, Chen also actively participate in physical exercise, swimming twice a week without fail. The efforts have been made, but the cold has not subsided. Every time the condition flared up, he would cough and wheeze, and his family could even hear the “whirring” sound of phlegm in his windpipe. A thorough visit to the doctor made him put on the “hat” of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Over the years, Chen has been suffering from coughing and wheezing, especially in winter or when the weather changes dramatically. Every time he had an attack, he had to go to the hospital to get a drip and use anti-infection and bronchodilator drugs. After treatment, the condition subsided, but the good times did not last long, and it would return before long. Since five years ago, simple medication has been unable to stop the deterioration – even daily activities such as eating, drinking, brushing his teeth and washing his face have overwhelmed his lungs, and he would walk more than 100 meters before he would be so out of breath that he almost suffocated. What is even more difficult for Chen and his family to accept is that the drip, which used to work, now seems to have lost its effect. From the initial wheezing after activity, to later even if not moving also panting, and finally developed to the inability to lie down, sleep at night can only be put on a table next to the bed, lying on it to survive the night. The proverbial “comfortable but lying down” has become a luxury in Lao Chen’s eyes, and once he lies down, he will be suffocated to the point of almost suffocating. Lung function is deteriorating surgery has become a luxury To relieve the pain, Chen did a full range of examinations, found that the main lesion in the right upper lobe, and has lost the function of gas exchange. Why would a good lung lobe lose function? This is the fault of tobacco and inflammatory response. Under the stimulation of cigarette smoke, the human bronchial mucosa is repeatedly inflamed, and the mucosal cells and the connective tissue beneath them are repeatedly damaged, necrotic, and repaired, so that over the years, the normal tissue structure is destroyed and the bronchial mucosa swells. When the human body inhales, due to the negative pressure in the chest cavity, the diseased bronchus can be opened slightly and the gas can enter the alveoli through the lumen. Under the cycle, the alveoli connected to the diseased bronchi are filled with a large amount of gas that cannot be discharged, eventually forming emphysema. For patients with end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease like Chen, drug therapy is no longer effective, and the only effective method is to remove the overfilled and swollen lung segment that has lost its gas exchange function. However, such an operation requires an open chest, which is too traumatic for Lao Chen’s frail body to handle. In such a situation, the implementation of lung decompression surgery became a luxury. The small valve was able to provide smooth breathing, and the medication was ineffective and the surgery was intolerable. Finally, Professor Wang Changhui, director of the respiratory department of our hospital, decided to perform “transbronchial lung decompression” for him. This is a minimally invasive treatment method that is a leader in the international arena and a rare one in Shanghai, East China and even in the whole country. Under direct bronchoscopic guidance, Prof. Wang precisely implanted three “small one-way valves” into each of the three bronchial segments in the upper lobe of the right lung. Although the valves are small, there is a lot going on inside – it is like a diode that allows only a one-way flow of electricity, and gas can only go out but not in. With this valve guarding the traffic pathway of the diseased bronchus, outside gas can no longer enter the extremely dilated alveoli, and the residual gas inside the alveoli can be slowly released. Within a short time after the implantation, the swollen lung tissue was like a deflated ball. As soon as he came out of the bronchoscopy room, Chen took a greedy breath, and the hospital air, which smelled like disinfectant and was somewhat annoying to onlookers, was as good as it gets to Chen. He is now able to walk comfortably after being out of breath without walking 100 meters. He is now able to take care of himself and his quality of life has been instantly improved. Tip: The miraculous BLVR (transbronchial lung volume reduction) Emphysema is a progressive, chronic disease, and the medium-term results of lung volume reduction (LVRS) for patients with elective end-stage emphysema have been well established. BLVR is a new type of minimally invasive surgery that has been performed in many countries around the world and has achieved good clinical results, and the endobronchial valve has been approved by CFDA for marketing, and only a few hospitals in China have performed this surgery. The most important point is that BLVR has a clear pulmonary decompression effect, which is a boon to patients with non-homogeneous emphysema.