Analysis of the critical care of COVID-19 patient involving the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in University Hospital Vienna shows that the chances of survival are good. Nearly three quarters of patients who had undergone ECMO treatment between January 2020 and April 2021 survived. In this demanding critical-care technique, a machine partially or completely takes over the patient’s respiratory functions outside their body. In an international comparison, this puts Vienna General Hospital and MedUni Vienna among the front-runners.