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Oropharyngeal airway

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Oropharangeal airways are indicated if the patient has signs of airway obstruction and impaired level of consciousness.

Oropharangeal airways are used to maintain the airway in the unconscious patient during bag and mask ventilation. They are:

  • inserted upside down until the tip is beyond the end of the tongue
  • rotated 180 degrees into position

At all times the patient's airway is maintained by the hand not holding the device: holding the mouth open and jaw forward.

An oropharygneal airway is functionally-dependent upon getting the right size; measure from angle of mouth to ear and size the airway against this distance.

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