COPD

Frequently Asked Questions

12. When is surgery recommended?

For some people with severe COPD, surgery may be recommended. Surgery is usually done for patients who have severe symptoms, have not gotten improvement from medications, and have a hard time breathing most of the time. There are two types of surgery that are considered in the case of severe COPD; a bullectomy, which removes a large air sac that may compress a good lung, or lung volume reduction surgery. A lung transplant may be done for some people with very severe COPD.