Simple airway adjuncts

Author: 
Claas Siegmueller

 

These generally consist of two groups of devices, oral airways and nasopharyngeal airways or nasal 'trumpets'.

Simple airway adjuncts are invaluable in increasing the success rate of basic airway maneuvers, which aim to create and maintain airway patency, allowing spontaneous respiration or facilitating bag-mask ventilation. They basically work by stenting open the obstruction in the upper airway which invariably occurs with a reduced level of consciousness, unconsciousness and general anesthesia, when the base of the tongue falls backwards against the posterior pharyngeal wall in the supine patient.

Also discussed under the 'oral airways' heading below are the Ovassapian and Berman oral airways.