In the past, the mainstay of treatment for patients progressing to respiratory failure from acute asthma was intubation and mechanical ventilation. Newer strategies to prevent these intubations to prevent the inherent complications are being explored in form of various pharmacological means like heliox, magnesium sulfate etc. Non pharmacological strategies among which non invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) is one of the most challenging after showing success in patients with chronic obstructive airway disease (COPD) and cardiogenic pulmonary edema.