Objective To explore the application effect of respiratory rehabilitation exercises in nursing of elderly patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods A total of 100 elderly patients with stable COPD admitted to Liaoyang Central Hospital, Liaoning Province from January 2018 to January 2020 were selected as research subjects.The patients were divided into the observation group and the control group by random number table method, 50 cases in each group.Conventional treatments including (oxygen support, and drugs for expectoration, antiinfection and asthma-relieving) were used in both groups.In the control group, patients received conventional nursing intervention on the basis of conventional treatment, and in the observation group, participants received respiratory rehabilitation training nursing based on the control group.Intervention lasted two months in both groups.The forced vital capacity(FVC),the first 1 second forced expiratory volume (FEV1), peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) and exercise tolerance(6 min walking distance) were compared between the two groups before and after 2-month intervention.Results After 2 months of intervention, the values of FEV1, PEF, and FVC of the two groups were higher than those before the intervention, and the values of FEV1, PEF and FVC of the observation group were higher than those of the control group,with statistical differences (P＜0.05).After 2 months of intervention, the results of 6 min walking distance test in the two groups were longer than those before the intervention, and the 6 min walking distance test result of the observation group was longer than that of the control group, with statistical differences (P＜0.05).Conclusion Respiratory rehabilitation exercises can effectively improve the lung function of the elderly patients with stable COPD, and is beneficial to improve the exercise tolerance of the patients.