On March 22, 2006, the first Interventional Lung Assist (ILA) Consensus Meeting was held in Hannover, Germany, hosted by the Hannover Thoracic Transplant and Cardiac Assist Program at the Hannover Medical School. Leading experts in the field of lung transplantation, respiratory and critical care medicine, lung injury, mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal life support, and oxygenator engineering were formally invited to participate. The main goal was to translate previous clinical experience with the ILA into a consensus for the use of the ILA as a bridge to lung transplantation.