New lungs ( left ) that were transplanted into a patient after he was kept alive with artificial lungs are seen next to his old lungs ( right ). The patient’s lungs were filling with fluid and pus, his kidneys were failing, and his heart was “barely” working, Bharat says. Chitaru Kurihara (left) and Ankit Bharat (right) operate on the patient, removing his damaged lungs and attaching the artificial lungs. Bharat’s artificial lungs literally bridged the gap—moving and oxygenating blood in place of the patient’s lungs. Similar systems to Bharat’s artificial lungs have been described by doctors before, says Matthew Hartwig, a professor of surgery at Duke University, who was not involved with the study.