Anton Sabashnikov, born 1983, received his medical degree from the Medical Faculty of the University of Duisburg-Essen. He completed his Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Intensive care Medicine and Thoracic Surgery of the University Hospital of Cologne, Germany, and at the Department of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom. In 2014, Anton Sabashnikov introduced and developed the ECMO retrieval program at the University Hospital of Cologne and became a Co-Director of this division with membership of Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). Furthermore, Anton Sabashnikov has been in charge of the Sector of Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support at the University Hospital of Cologne. In 2016, Anton Sabashnikov became Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in his filed of expertise being responsible for student education and state examinations.Being responsible for therapy of critically ill heart and lung failure patients with extracorporeal life support, Anton Sabashnikov serves as the fellow of the interdisciplinary working group on shock of the German Interdisciplinary Society of Intensive and Emergency Medicine.The main focus of his clinical and experimental research and expertise is in the field of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support that also resulted in over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals and over 60 contributions to international conferences. Anton Sabashnikov is also one of the founders and board members of the international scientific society Integrated Meta-analysis on Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology (IMCSC) group. He has reviewed over 250 papers for over 30 journals. Thorsten Wahlers, born 1958, is a University Professor and the Director of the Heart Center for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany.After studying medicine in Bonn, Düsseldorf and Cologne, Professor Wahlers received his doctorate from the University of Cologne. He started his surgical career 1983 at Hannover Medical School with Professor Hans Borst and became a senior cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon in 1991 at the University of Hanover. In 1986/87 he worked in Harefield, United Kingdom, with Professor Magdi Yacoub. He was first appointed Professor in 1996 at Hannover Medical School. In 1999 he became University Professor and Chief of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena.  In November 2005, he took over the Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at the University Hospital Cologne.Professor Wahlers specialities include complex bypass surgery, minimally invasive valve surgery including all catheter-interventional procedures, aortic aneurysm and dissection surgery, ECMO and ECLS therapy, cardiac assistance devices, heart and lung transplants, as well as thoracic surgery.He received numerous prices, published more than 580 papers in national and international journals and is serving as reviewer for more than 25 journals. Many of his scholars have reached leading positions in university and academic hospitals.Thorsten Wahlers is a member of numerous national (DGTHG, DGK) and international associations (EACTS, STS, AATS). He is also a consultant for the German Society for Thoracic, Cardiovascular Surgery, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, the Federal Ministry of Health and the German Research Foundation.

• Part 1. Scientific, technical and clinical background of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy.- 1. History of Extracorporeal Life Support: From cardio-pulmonary bypass towards ECMO.- 2. Variety and classification of ECMO systems and cannulation strategies.- 3. Is it time to move on? Discrepancies between official Guidelines and real life clinical scenarios.- 4. Left Ventricular (LV) Decompressing and Venting Strategies – The Game Changers in ECMO Support.- 5. ECMOlogy as the new medical discipline – the way towards interdisciplinary approach of ECMO therapy.- Part 2. From zero to hero: matters and challenges of launching an ECMO retrieval program.- 6. Teamwork makes the dream work: creating interdisciplinary synergies among cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, pulmonology and anaesthesiology.- 7. Financial aspects and negotiations with manufacturers.- 8. Add-on Modules, Quality Assessment Issues and Specific Arrangements inIntensive Care Units (ICU) Sector: Demand of Infrastructure and Staff.- 9. Brainstorming: personnel education and planning stage of the service.- 10. Assign the Parts: Aspects of ECMO Team Building.- 11. Check Lists, Retrieval Protocols and Internal Guidelines.- 12. As little as possible and as much as necessary: supplementary equipment and “ECMO suitcase” for retrieval service.- 13. Do you really need an ECMO coordinator? Strategies to optimize communication.- 14. Round-the-clock operation: trips and tricks to help achieve flexibility and realizability.- Part 3. Specifics of the propaganda machine: how to get referrals and what is the best way to draw attention to the program.- 15. Professional web presence as an indispensible module of the current information dissemination.- 16. Are printed media still holding their own against the electronic competition?.- 17. Show your face: personal introduction and direct communication with referringcolleagues.- 18. Meet the experts: scientific exchange and academic performance through symposiums and peer reviewed publications.- 19. Make you global debut: benefits of joining Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).- Part 4. From start to finish: chronological order and safety aspects of ECMO retrievals from local hospitals.- 20. Time is life: optimization of packing up the equipment and organizing outward journey.- 21. On the road: fast and safe transport of the team and equipment.- 22. On-the-spot check: clinical assessment and decision making.- 23. Pearls and pitfalls in ECMO cannulation: practical tips to minimize complications.- 24. Save the leg: game plans for ensuring distal limb perfusion.- 25. Initial management of transported patients after arrival on ICU.- 26. Ins and outs of extracorporeal cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (eCPR) service.- Part 5. Pushing the boundaries: managing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.- 27. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest – Achilles’ heel in cardiovascular medicine.- 28. In- or out-of-hospital ECMO implantation? Impact of infrastructure, logistic conditions and legal circumstances.- Part 6. Miscellaneous.- 29. Ethical considerations.- 30. From the view of a patient and next of kin.- 31. Future perspectives.