To observe the effect of sequential therapy of Qingjin Huatan Decoction on clinical effects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods:A total of 90 patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to December 2018 were selected as the research objects.According to the random number table，they were divided into a control group (given conventional Western medicine treatment)，a short course observation group (given Qingjin Huatan Decoction for 7～10 days)，and a long course observation group (given sequential treatment for 28 days)，with 30 cases in each group.The clinical efficacy，TCM score (TCMSS) and annual readmissions were compared among the three groups.Samples of serum and sputum were collected on the 1st，7th and 28th day，and serum levels of TNF-α，IL-1β and MUC5AC were measured before and after treatment.At the same time，sputum samples were collected for semi-quantitative culture to evaluate the drug-resistant bacterial load.Results:In clinical curative effect，TCMSS and serological index，the treatment group was better than the control group (P<0.05)，and the long course group was better than the short course group (P<0.05).In terms of drug-resistant bacteria removal，the long course of treatment group was better than that of the control group and the short course group (P<0.05).And the long course group had less annual readmission than the short course and the control group，and which had statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion:The sequential treatment of Qingjin Huatan Decoction can effectively improve the clinical symptoms and reduce the airway inflammation and the risk of drug-resistant bacteria colonization.