Newborns born with respiratory failure or respiratory distress have a very low chance of survival. Techniques for treating these newborns have advanced over the years, but these treatments carry high risks. One technique for treating these newborns is called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO for short. The development of ECMO was a process that began before 1970 after the invention of the successful use of the disposable bubble oxygenator. This oxygenator was suitable for short periods of bypass surgery, but did not allow the patient to stay there for more than a few hours. In addition, this oxygenator was harmful to the blood due to the large contact surface between blood and oxygen. In an effort to make a better oxygenator, the membrane oxygenator was created and ECMO followed. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is used to treat two main health problems in newborns. The main reason is the provision of respiratory support in cases of functional impairment (1) and the second reason is that patients requiring postoperative support after cardiac repair have been treated with ECMO, which is becoming increasingly successful ( 4). This is a way for the newborn's lungs to benefit from a recovery period when they are on bypass (5). When a baby is born and doctors conclude that the baby has breathing problems, the child needs help as quickly as possible. When this newborn is considered for ECMO, they must meet eight specific criteria. These eight points include “1. Gestational age of at least 35 weeks; 2. Weighing over 2,000 grams; 3. No structural heart disease; 4. Less than seven days (relative) or tan (absolute) of respiratory support; 5. Reversible lung disease; 6. No intracranial hemorrhage or severe coagulopathy; 7. Fail... middle of article... Oxygenation is a life-saving treatment for respiratory failure. Works Cited (1) Lipton, B., Weinreich, A., Michal, V. and Jacobson, JH (1970, November). Respiratory failure treated with the membrane oxygenator in the hyperbaric chamber. CHEST Journal, 58(5), 513-517.(2) Lim, MW (2006). History of extracorporeal oxygenators. Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, 985-991.(3) Rodrigues-Cruz, E. (August 27, 2013). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Retrieved from Medscape: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1818617-overview(4) Foglia, R. (1990). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Current Opinion in Cardiology, 20-24. (5) Schumacher, RE, Palmer, T., Roloff, DW, LaClaire, PA and Barlett, RH (1991). Follow-up of infants treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for respiratory failure in the newborn. PEDIATRICS, 451-457.