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This article focuses on a study conducted to investigate the effects of lung volume reduction surgery on sleep quality and nocturnal gas exchange in patients with severe emphysema. Emphysema patients often experience difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep. This results in increased daytime sleepiness. Patients with severe emphysema often have significant nocturnal oxygen desaturation. Twenty-five patients at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed the study population. It was found that in patients with severe emphysema, lung volume reduction surgery results in improved sleep quality and nocturnal oxygenation.