Management of acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is largely supportive, with the use of mechanical ventilation being a central feature. Recent advances in the understanding of ALI/ARDS and mechanical ventilation have revealed that lung-protective ventilation strategies may attenuate ventilator-associated lung injury and improve patient morbidity/mortality. High-frequency oscillatory ventilation and airway pressure release ventilation are two novel alternative modes of ventilation that theoretically fulfill the principles of lung protection and may offer an advantage over conventional ventilation for ALI/ARDS.