The 7-year old was in serious condition when she was admitted to Children's Hospital and Medical Center.

She already had lung disease, and it was made much worse by the flu virus. Doctors say the virus can be deadly when the body is deprived of oxygen.

The girl wasn't getting enough oxygen, so doctors tried a rare procedure. ECMO is normally used on premature babies who are having trouble breathing. It involves running a patient's blood through an oxygen machine.

Oxygen is pumped into the blood before it returns to the body. Dr. Jeff DeMare at Children's Hospital and Medical Center says it took eight days to complete the ECMO procedure on the girl. "When you're stuck with a well you try this really aggressive therapy or the child passes away, it makes the decision significantly easier."

The procedure gave the child enough oxygen to regain her strength and survive her bout with H1N1.

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