SUMMARY The extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a procedure that has been used for a long time in reference centers worldwide. Its fundamental precept is to serve as a bridge to a definitive treatment in patients with severe, but potentially reversible, clinical conditions. Despite this, its use in cardiopulmonary arrest (ECPR) is still a matter of debate, especially when indicated in the emergency department. There is not yet a sufficient level of evidence to support its routine use. In Brasil, the procedure stopped being considered an experimental technique by the Federal Council of Medicine only in 2017. The objective of the present case is to share the pioneering spirit of a Brazilian reference center with ECPR in the emergency room and to discuss the future challenges of the ECMO technique.