Background: Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) provides passive support of gas exchange and perfusion, allowing the use of other methods of care that are intended to result in organ recovery, and saves lives of patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure in a wide variety of clinical setting with the minimal risk of bleeding and need for chest reexploration. We summarized single center���s experience with ECMO in patients with ischemic heart disease with cardiogenic shock due to ischemic heart disease despite of maximal inotropic support. Methods: Twenty consecutive patients with cardiogenic shock who were received PCPS for the purpose of resuscitation from 1999 May to 2005 June. Biopump (Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis, MN) in 5 patients and the self-priming, heparin-coated circuit of EBS (Terumo, Japan) was used in remaining 16 patients. Most cannulation was performed via femoral artery and vein percutaneously, long venous cannula of DLP (Medtronic inc. Minneapolis, MN) or RMI (Edwards���s lifescience LLC, Irvine, CA) was used with arterial cannula from 14Fr to 21Fr and venous cannula from 17Fr to 28Fr. Results: Among the 20 consecutive patients who were severely compromised and received PCPS for the purpose of resuscitation, comprised of 14 cardiac arrests and 6 cardiogenic shocks in which by-pass surgery was performed in 10 patients and 8 ongoing PCIs under the cardiopulmonary support. The mean support time on the PCPS was 33 짹 50 hours. Of the 20 patients implanted with PCPS, 12 patients (60%) have had the PCPS removed successfully; overall, 8 of these patients (40%) have been discharged from hospital in an average surviving time for 28짹18 days after removing of PCPS and surviving well with more than 33months of follow-up after discharge. Conclusion: PCPS may be considered when the risk of mortality despite other treatment is high and the prognosis for recovery to normal health is minimal. The use of PCPS appears to provide hemodynamic restoration, allowing salvage of patients in cardiac arrest or cardiogenic shock who would otherwise not survive, and patients receiving PCPS had a relatively long-term survival.