A 33-year-old man who was hospitalized for type B influenza became infected with the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and developed necrotizing pneumonia[1]. Antibiotics and oxygen therapy failed to stop his condition from deteriorating, leading to heart and kidney failure[1]. Doctors at Northwestern University determined that his lungs were so extensively damaged and scarred that they would never recover[2]. The only way to get the infection under control was to completely remove both lungs[1]. For 48 hours without his own lungs, his blood was oxygenated outside his body by an artificial system that kept his body functional[2]. Subsequently, the patient successfully underwent a lung transplant[2]. This innovative procedure represents a breakthrough approach in the treatment of patients with acute lung failure and may save other patients with similar complications in the future[2].