Objectives: Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is increasingly being used in acutely deteriorating patients with end-stage lung disease as a bridge to transplantation (BTT). It can allow critically ill recipients to remain eligible for lung transplant (LTx) while reducing pretransplant deconditioning. We analyzed early and mid-term postoperative outcomes of patients on VV-ECMO as a BTT and the impact of preoperative VV-ECMO on posttransplant survival outcomes. Methods: All consecutive LTx performed at our institution between January 2012 and December 2018 were analyzed. After matching, BTT patients were compared with non-bridged LTx recipients. Results: Out of 297 transplanted patients, 21 (7.1%) were placed on VV-ECMO as a BTT. After matching, we observed a similar 30-day mortality between BTT and non-BTT patients (4.6% vs. 6.6%, p=0.083) despite a higher incidence of early postoperative complications (need for ECMO, delayed chest closure, acute kidney injury). Furthermore, preoperative VV-ECMO did not appear associated with 30-day or 1-year mortality in both frequentist and Bayesian analysis (OR 0.35, 95%CI 0.03-3.49, p=0.369; OR 0.27, 95%CrI 0.01-3.82, P=84.7%, respectively). In sensitivity analysis, both subgroups were similar in respect to 30-day (7.8% vs. 6.5%, p=0.048) and 1-year mortality (12.5% vs. 18%, p=0.154). Conclusions: Patients with acute refractory respiratory failure while waiting for LTx represent a high-risk cohort of patients. We observed that these patients can be successfully bridged to LTx with VV-ECMO with post-transplant mortality comparable to non-BTT patients.