Objective <p>The current study was conducted to explore the clinical impact of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in rehabilitation nursing on improving cardiopulmonary function and exercise capacity in COPD patients.</p> Methods <p>A total of thirty-one COPD patients underwent HIIT, while an equal number underwent moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) were included in this randomized controlled clinical study. The randomization method used was stratified block randomization, stratified by center. During the 6 months follow-up period, the clinical data, including cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) results, cardiopulmonary function index, quality of life, and follow-up outcomes, were collected before and after the interventions. The therapeutic effects of the two groups were compared.</p> Results <p>After the intervention, the HIIT group exhibited significantly higher peak power, exercise test duration, anaerobic threshold, peak oxygen uptake, peak ventilation, FEV1/FVC ratio, FEV1% of expected value, LVEF (%), and SF-36 scores compared to the MICT group (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, LVEDD was significantly lower in the HIIT group compared to the MICT group (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). At the 6-month follow-up, the incidence of COPD acute exacerbation in the HIIT group was significantly lower than in the MICT group (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05).</p> Conclusion <p>Implementation of HIIT in rehabilitation nursing effectively improved cardiopulmonary function and exercise capacity in COPD patients during clinical treatment, highlighting its promising application potential.</p> Trial Registration <p>This study was previously registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Date 11/05/2022 Number ChiCTR2200059764).</p>