Conclusion
ECMO is a cardiopulmonary support often used in patients who fail to be weaned off CPB, who are likely to have reversible causes. Although there are several complications related to its use, there are steps that can be done to minimise their occurrence. New components and variations of ECMO are being trialled providing better prospects for patients. It has also seen a recent surge of its use in COVID-19 patients. Studies analysed in this article have shown that the circulatory support provided by VA-ECMO improves survival rates for PCCS in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, without which patient mortality rates would be much greater. These benefits of VA-ECMO are especially seen post-CABG and post-valve surgery patients.