Helium is a noble gas with unique physicochemical properties. Due to its low density in comparison to air or oxygen, used as heliox - a mixture of helium and oxygen - reduces the turbulent flow in the airways. This particular property might be promising while using heliox for medical purposes, especially as a carrier gas for inhaled therapy. Theoretically, heliox might be beneficial in management of bronchoconstrictive diseases, i.e. asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The authors present a review of the literature focus on clinical employment of heliox as a driving gas for aerosols. Safety of this procedure has been demonstrated, but comparing to standard therapy, the efficacy is not much higher and cost/benefit ratio is high. The reviewer did not find data to support the routine use of heliox in care of patients with asthma and COPD.