OBJECTIVE： To observe the efficacy and safety of doxofylline combined with ceftazidime in the treatment of elderly patients with chronic emphysema. METHODS： Data of 78 elderly patients with ceftazidime was collected and divided into single drug group （31 cases） and combined medication group （47 cases） according to different treatment methods. All patients adopted fluid infusion， oxygen inhalation and nutrition support. Based on it， single drug group received 0.05 g Doxofylline injection， once every 12 h. Combined medication group additionally received 1.0 g Ceftazidime for injection， once every 12 h. If the symptoms were out of control， 20 mg prednisone was given， twice a day. The courses of 2 groups were 10 d. Total efficacy， pulmonary functions [maximum mid-expiratory flow （MMEF）， 1s forced expiratory volume percent predicted （FEV1％）， peak expiratory flow （PEF）] before and after treatment， American Concise Health Survey Questionnaire （SF-36 scale） （QLS） and the incidence of adverse reactions in 2 groups were observed. RESULTS： The total effective rate in combined medication group was significantly higher than single drug group， the difference was statistically significant （P＜0.05）. Before treatment， there was no significant difference in MMEF， FEV1％， PEF and QLS scores between 2 groups （P＞0.05）. After treatment， MMEF， FEV1％， PEF and QLS scores in 2 groups were significantly higher than before， and combined medication group MMEF， FEV1％、PEF were higher than single drug group， the difference was statistically significant （P＜0.05）， but there was no significant difference QLS scores in 2 groups（P＞0.05）. And there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions in 2 groups （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS： Based on conventional treatment， doxofylline combined with ceftazidime shows better efficacy than doxofylline alone in the treatment of elderly patients with chronic emphysema， it can improve pulmonary functions， with better safety.