A system to alleviate a symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a lung of a patient by providing a ventilation bypass pathway which allows air to exit the lung via the bronchus or trachea. The system includes a conduit connected by an airway connection device to an artificial opening through a wall of a region of a trachea and a bronchus external to the lung. The other end of the conduit is connected by a lung connection device to an artificial opening through a visceral membrane of the lung. An access fitting is connected to the conduit between the first end of the conduit and the second end of the conduit and allows intermittent access to the lumen from outside the patient.