Data addressing the use of respiratory support in acute coronary syndromes are lacking. To address this evidence gap, we characterized prognostic impact and trends in utilization of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in patients hospitalized with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) from 2002 through 2013 using the National Inpatient Sample. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify patient, hospital, and clinical characteristics associated with requiring IMV or NIV within 24-hours of hospitalization. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to quantify the magnitude of in-hospital mortality associated with IMV and NIV use. Between 2002 and 2013, we identified 1,867,114 STEMI patients. Age, sex, higher comorbidity burden and chronic pulmonary disease were significantly associated with need for respiratory support. The use of IMV and NIV increased at average annual rates of 6.6% and 14.3%, respectively (Ptrend < 0.001). Age- and sex-adjusted mortality rates are high but declined for STEMI patients requiring IMV (44.7% in 2002 to 37.6% in 2013, Ptrend = 0.002) and NIV (11.6% in 2002 to 6.8% in 2013, Ptrend < 0.001). Compared to STEMI patients with no ventilation need, a requirement for IMV or NIV was associated with increased adjusted in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.5; p < 0.001 and [HR]: 1.7; p < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, approximately 1 in 23 patients hospitalized with STEMI will require respiratory support in the form of IMV or NIV. STEMI patients who require respiratory support have a high risk of death, though rates of in-hospital mortality have decreased over time.