Abstract: Organ transplantation is one of the effective methods for the treatment of end-stage diseases, but the lack of donors has hindered the development of organ transplantation. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can improve the hypoxia and hypoperfusion of organs, shorten the warm ischemia time, and maintain the function of donor organs effectively, in case of emergency or donor hemodynamic instability. It helps to make effective use of donor organs and benefit patients who are in urgent need of organ transplants. This article summarized the progress on application of ECMO in donor maintenance and provided suggestions for its application in organ transplantation.