Objective Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides a treatment for patients with acute heart-lung failure. However, as an invasive procedure, it associated with high incidence of complications. It is important to a-vert and reduce the complications for improving the success rate in critically ill patients. We investigate the complications associated with ECMO after cardiac surgery and their management. Methods Clinical data from 117 postoperative patients[32 male, mean age (48.7 ± 16.5) years]supported with ECMO in the cardiovascular intensive care unit( ICU) from March 2005 to June 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. The cardiac operations they had undergone included coronary artery bypass grafting (n = 20), coronary artery bypass grafting and remodeling of left ventricle(n =9), coronary artery bypass grafting and valvular operation(n =5), repair of ventricular septal perforation following acute myocardial infarction(n =2), valvular operation( n = 46), heart/lung transplantation (n = 20/1), correction of congenital heart defects ( n = 10), and aortic operations ( n = 4). Venoarterial bypass was established in 110 patients by cannulation of the right atrium and femoral artery, and that of the right atrium and ascending aorta in 5 cases. Left atrial drainage to ECMO was added in 2 cases. Venovenous bypass was established in 2 patients with hypoxemia following cardiac surgery. Heparin was infused for maintaining the activated coagulation time (ACT) at 160 to 200 seconds for centrifugal pump(114 cases),and 200 to 250 seconds for roller pump(3 cases) to avoid thrombotic events until decannulation was achieved. Results The mean ECMO duration was 61 hours (range 3 to 225 hours). 48(41.0% ) patients died, 18 of them died of complications after weaning from circulatory assistant successfully. Complications occurred in 74 (63.2% ) patients included reoperation for hemostasis (n = 24), renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy (n =29), nosocomial infections ( n = 32) , ischemia in the extremities(n = 5), plasma leakage of oxygenators ( n = 29), gastroenteral hemorrhage ( n = 14), hemolysis ( n = 7 ), neurological complications ( n = 4) and centrifugal pump failure (n =1). Conclusion Bleeding is an early complication associated with ECMO support. The risk of nosocomial infection, renal failure and plasma leakage of oxygenators increases with the duration of ECMO support.