A 30-year-old patient was admitted to hospital with fever and respiratory insufficiency due to community acquired pneumonia. Within a few days the patient developed septic cardiomyopathy and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which deteriorated under conventional mechanical ventilation. Peripheral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (va-ECMO) was initiated by the retrieval team of an ARDS/ECMO centre at a paO2/FIO2 ratio of 73 mmHg and a left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) of 10 %. After 12 h va-ECMO was converted to veno-venoarterial ECMO (vva-ECMO) for improvement of pulmonary and systemic oxygenation. Left ventricular function improved (EF 45 %) 36 h after starting ECMO and the patient was weaned from vva-ECMO and converted to vv-ECMO. The patient was weaned successfully from vv-ECMO after 5 additional days and transferred back to the referring hospital for weaning from the ventilator.