Patients with heart and/or lung failure are some of the sickest patients in our hospital systems. In severe cases they often need long periods of specialist care in Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Australia and New Zealand. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is an extremely specialised and costly form of life support, only being utilised when a patient is close to death as a last resort to save their life. This form of life support has been used for many years in babies and children but is relatively new for adults. Whilst there is evidence emerging of the positive effects of ECMO in adults, there is a lot that is unknown and further research is required.