Objective: To investigate clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease combined with respiratory failure. Method: Ninty patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with respiratory failure were chosen from January 2009 to December 2012 in our hospital and randomly divided into two groups including control group (45 patients) with conventional symptomatic treatment of western medicine and TCM treatment group (45 patients) with TCM differentiation treatment on the basis of control group treatment;and the total efficiency of clinical improvement

clinical mortality

before and after treatment TCM syndrome score

APACHE Ⅱ score and blood gas analysis index of both groups were compared. Result: The total efficiency of clinical improvement of TCM treatment group (93.3%)was significant higher than control group (71.1%)(P<0.05). The TCM syndrome score

APACHE Ⅱ score and blood gas analysis index of both groups after treatment were significant better than before treatment and the improving degree of TCM treatment group was significant higher than control group(P<0.05). Conclusion: TCM treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with respiratory failure combined with western medicine can efficiently relieve dyspnea

and higher pulmonary ventilation function.