 A 37-year-old German woman was brought to a Shock Room at the General Hospital with worsening shortness of breath and cough. Over the year preceding admission, the patient had begun to experience the insidious onset of shortness of breath. She had smoked one half pack of cigarettes per day for 20 years, but had quit smoking approximately 2 months prior to admission. Approximately 2 weeks prior to admission, she noted worsening shortness of breath and the development of a dry nonproductive cough. Approximately 1 week before admission, the shortness of breath became more severe and began to limit her activities. On the day of admission, her dyspnea had worsened to the point that she became markedly short of breath after walking a short distance, and she elected to seek medical attention. On arrival at the hospital, she was short of breath at rest and was having difficulty completing her sentences. She denied orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, swelling in her legs, chest pain, weight loss or gain, fever, chills, palpitations, and sick contacts. She denied any history of IVDA