ECMO is used more and more globally, and to date more than 60,000 patients have undergone ECMO treatment. At the ECMO Center Karolinska in Stockholm, Sweden, more than 900 neonatal, pediatric and adult patients with primarily respiratory failure have been treated since 1987. This study investigated 217 consecutive patients of all ages who were treated 1995-2005 at our center, of which 76 % survived treatment. The mean follow-up time was 7.9 years. Of the patients who survived more than 90 days after treatment, 91 % were alive at follow-up 5 years later, similar in all age categories (89-93 %). The highest mortality risk was observed within the first months after ECMO. We conclude that both short and long-term survival is high in all age categories, especially considering the high mortality risk of the patients eligible for ECMO treatment. More studies are needed to evaluate long term prognostic markers, cognitive functions and quality of life, especially in the adult.