Oropharyngeal airway

Background

Oral cavity and oropharynx.

Sagittal section through the head and neck showing the subdivisions of the pharynx.

• Airway adjunct used to open oropharynx and increase effectiveness of BVM ventilation

Indications

• Unresponsive patients without gag reflex
• Apneic patient being ventilated with BVM

Contraindications

• Conscious patients
• Intact gag reflex

Procedure

Application

• Size OPA from earlobe to mouth
• Open patients mouth and insert OPA with the tip towards the roof of the mouth
• Rotate airway 180° and insert until it is fully inserted

Oropharyngeal airways

Removal

• Pull out the OPA

See also

• Supraglottic airway
• Rapid sequence intubation

Airway Pages

• Pre-intubation
  • Predicting the difficult airway
  • Bag valve mask ventilation
    • Oropharyngeal airway
    • Supraglottic airway
  • Apneic oxygenation
    • EBQ:ED Preoxygenation
• Induction
  • Critical care quick reference
  • Rapid sequence intubation
  • Delayed sequence intubation
• Intubation
  • Intubation (peds)
  • Direct laryngoscopy
  • Video Laryngoscopy
  • Bougie
  • The difficult airway
  • Advanced airway adjuncts
    • Supraglottic airway
  • Non-traditional intubation
    • Awake intubation
    • Nasal intubation
    • Blind digital intubation
• Surgical airways
  • Surgical cricothyrotomy
  • Needle cricothyrotomy
  • Pediatric jet ventilation
• Post-intubation
  • Mechanical ventilation (main)
  • Deterioration after intubation (DOPE)