Objective To investigate the effect of perioperative pulmonary infection in elderly patients with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) undergoing general anesthesia.Methods Forty elderly patients undergoing general anesthesia and abdominal surgery, 24 males, 16 females, aged 65-81 years, ASA physical status Ⅰ-Ⅲ, BMI 19-28 kg/m2, were randomly divided into two groups (n=20 each): protective ventilation group (group PV) and conventional ventilation group (group CV).Lung protective ventilation was received in group PV: intermittent positive pressure ventilation, tidal volume 6 ml/kg (ideal body weight), positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) 5-10 cm H2O, alveolar recruitment maneuver every 30 minutes;conventional ventilation was received in group CV: intermittent positive pressure ventilation, tidal volume 10 ml/kg (ideal body weight), without using the PEEP and alveolar recruitment maneuver.Venous blood samples for interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were taken at five different time points: before the anesthesia induction (T1), 2 h after mechanical ventilation (T2), at the end of operation (T3), 6 h (T4) and 24 h (T5) after operation.The clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) was recorded at before anesthesia, days 1, 3, 5 and 7 after surgery.The incidence of postoperative pulmonary inflammation was also recorded.Results There was no statistical difference in the two groups with respect to age, body mass index, ASA physical status, intraoperative volume of infusion, estimated blood loss, urine volume, mechanical ventilation time, operation method and IL-6, IL-8 levels at T1-T5.Compared with T1, the IL-6 and IL-8 levels in two groups at T2-T5 increased significantly (P＜0.05).Compared that before anesthesia, CPIS in group CV on postoperative days 1, 3 and 5 increased significantly (P＜0.05);compared with group CV, CPIS and the incidence of postoperative pulmonary inflammation in group PV reduced significantly on postoperative days 1, 3 and 5 (P＜0.05).Conclusion Lung protective ventilation can not reduce perioperative IL-6, IL-8 levels in laparotomy elderly patients with COPD, but it can reduce the incidence of pulmonary inflammation and pulmonary infection within 5 postoperative days.