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Basic airway management is a concept and set of medical procedures performed to prevent and treat airway obstruction and allow for adequate ventilation to a patient's lungs. [1] This is accomplished by clearing or preventing obstructions of airways. Airway obstructions can occur in both conscious and unconscious individuals.
An oropharyngeal airway (also known as an oral airway, OPA or Guedel pattern airway) is a medical device called an airway adjunct used in airway management to maintain or open a patient's airway. It does this by preventing the tongue from covering the epiglottis, which could prevent the person from breathing. When a person becomes unconscious ...
In advanced airway management, the inhaled foreign objects, however, are either removed by using a simple plastic suction device (such as a Yankauer suction tip) or under direct inspection of the airway with a laryngoscope or bronchoscope. If removal is not possible, other surgical methods should be considered.
[4] [5] However, traditional airway management education has not included the integration of a simultaneous suctioning and airway decontamination skill set as a technique that can be deployed in the setting of large volume contamination and clinicians frequently underestimate the importance of suction as part of airway management. [1] [6] [7]
Airway, breathing, and circulation, therefore work in a cascade; if the patient's airway is blocked, breathing will not be possible, and oxygen cannot reach the lungs and be transported around the body in the blood, which will result in hypoxia and cardiac arrest. Ensuring a clear airway is therefore the first step in treating any patient; once ...
A model of an oropharyngeal airway (OPA) preventing the tongue from obstructing the airway. An oropharyngeal airway (OPA) is a rigid tube that is inserted into the mouth through the oropharynx and placed above the tongue to move it away from the back of the throat. [2] [4] They are more commonly used than nasopharyngeal airways (NPAs). [4]
An oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal airway is used during bag-valve-mask ventilation to prevent soft tissues from blocking the airway. An oropharyngeal airway may cause gagging and vomiting. Therefore, an oropharyngeal airway must be sized appropriately. An airway that is incorrectly sized can worsen the airway obstruction.
Laryngoscopy involves placing a device in the mouth to visualize the back of the airway. [22] If the foreign body can be seen, it can be removed with forceps. [22] An endotracheal tube should then be placed in order to prevent airway compromise from resulting inflammation after the procedure. [22]