Oropharyngeal airway

Oropharyngeal airway is a medical device used 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, the muscles in their jaw relax and can allow the tongue to obstruct the airway.

Indications

The oropharyngeal airway is used in situations where the patient is unconscious or semi-conscious and there is a risk of the airway becoming blocked. This could be due to the tongue relaxing and falling back into the throat, or due to the presence of other obstructions such as vomit or blood.

Contraindications

The use of an oropharyngeal airway is contraindicated in patients who are conscious or semi-conscious and have a gag reflex, as it may stimulate vomiting or cause trauma to the throat.

Procedure

The oropharyngeal airway is inserted into the mouth and advanced until it lies in the pharynx. The device is designed to sit over the tongue, keeping it out of the way and allowing air to pass freely into the lungs.

Complications

Possible complications of using an oropharyngeal airway include injury to the mouth or throat, vomiting if the patient has a gag reflex, and the device becoming blocked by blood or other fluids.

See Also

• Airway management
• Intubation
• Tracheostomy

• 
  One-piece Guedel Airways
• 
  Canule de Goedel
• 
  Oral pharyngeal airway (OPA) insertion