Rapid advances have been made in the field of respiratory therapy in the past several years, resulting in an increasing sophistication and range of application. Properly applied, these modalities have led to significantly increased survival in patients with acute respiratory failure and a decreased morbidity among individuals with chronic pulmonary insufficiency. It is the purpose of this article to put into perspective respiratory therapy techniques and their application in the treatment of acute respiratory failure. To this end, we may divide respiratory therapy into five categories: 1) oxygen delivery, 2) airway hygiene, 3) expansion therapy (lung inflation), 4) artificial airways, and 5) mechanical ventilation
