Oropharyngeal Airway
OVERVIEW
- Oropharyngeal airway (OPA) aka Guedel airway
USE
- Lifts the tongue off the posterior pharyngeal wall to prevent airway obstruction
- bite block
- assist oropharyngeal suctioning
- promotes moulding of the face of a mask for manual ventilation
DESCRIPTION
- Sizes: equal to length in cm
- colour coded bite portions can aid easy size identification (children – 00, 1, 2; adults – 4, 5, 6)
- sized by measuring from the center of the mouth between the first incisors to the angle of the mandible in an adult
Parts:
- flange to prevent overinsertion
- reinforced bite section
- curved body to conform over tongue/palate
- tubular air channel
METHOD OF INSERTION/ USE
- Children – insert directly over the tongue ideally with aid of a tongue depressor (no twisting through 180 degrees)
- Adults – rotate 180 degrees from concave upwards position as it is inserted over the tongue
- Lubricant may aid insertion
COMPLICATIONS
- gagging, vomiting and aspiration
- soft tissue trauma to the tongue, palate and pharynx
- biting down on the hard surface can injure the teeth
OTHER INFORMATION
- Berman airway – is similar but has a grove in the size; may be used to facilitate passage of a bronchoscope – once it is inserted into the larynx the device can be slid off the side of the scope and an endotracheal tube fed into the larynx
- COPA (Cuffed Oropharyngeal Airway) is a variant with an inflatable cuff to seal the oropharynx and has a universal connector attached to the bite block to allow ventilation – limited popularity and scope.
References and Links
Introduction to ICU Series
Introduction to ICU Series Landing Page
DAY TO DAY ICU: FASTHUG, ICU Ward Round, Clinical Examination, Communication in a Crisis, Documenting the ward round in ICU, Human Factors
AIRWAY: Bag Valve Mask Ventilation, Oropharyngeal Airway, Nasopharyngeal Airway, Endotracheal Tube (ETT), Tracheostomy Tubes
BREATHING: Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP), High Flow Nasal Prongs (HFNP), Intubation and Mechanical Ventilation, Mechanical Ventilation Overview, Non-invasive Ventilation (NIV)
CIRCULATION: Arrhythmias, Atrial Fibrillation, ICU after Cardiac Surgery, Pacing Modes, ECMO, Shock
CNS: Brain Death, Delirium in the ICU, Examination of the Unconscious Patient, External-ventricular Drain (EVD), Sedation in the ICU
GASTROINTESTINAL: Enteral Nutrition vs Parenteral Nutrition, Intolerance to EN, Prokinetics, Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis (SUP), Ileus
GENITOURINARY: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), CRRT Indications
HAEMATOLOGICAL: Anaemia, Blood Products, Massive Transfusion Protocol (MTP)
INFECTIOUS DISEASE: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antimicrobial Quick Reference, Central Line Associated Bacterial Infection (CLABSI), Handwashing in ICU, Neutropenic Sepsis, Nosocomial Infections, Sepsis Overview
SPECIAL GROUPS IN ICU: Early Management of the Critically Ill Child, Paediatric Formulas, Paediatric Vital Signs, Pregnancy and ICU, Obesity, Elderly
FLUIDS AND ELECTROLYTES: Albumin vs 0.9% Saline, Assessing Fluid Status, Electrolyte Abnormalities, Hypertonic Saline
PHARMACOLOGY: Drug Infusion Doses, Summary of Vasopressors, Prokinetics, Steroid Conversion, GI Drug Absorption in Critical Illness
PROCEDURES: Arterial line, CVC, Intercostal Catheter (ICC), Intraosseous Needle, Underwater seal drain, Naso- and Orogastric Tubes (NGT/OGT), Rapid Infusion Catheter (RIC)
INVESTIGATIONS: ABG Interpretation, Echo in ICU, CXR in ICU, Routine daily CXR, FBC, TEG/ROTEM, US in Critical Care
ICU MONITORING: NIBP vs Arterial line, Arterial Line Pressure Transduction, Cardiac Output, Central Venous Pressure (CVP), CO2 / Capnography, Pulmonary Artery Catheter (PAC / Swan-Ganz), Pulse Oximeter
- Arthur Ernest Guedel (1883-1956) – The Guedel airway
- Robert Alvin Berman (1914-1999) – The Berman airway
Critical Care
Compendium
Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at The Alfred ICU, where he is Deputy Director (Education). He is a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, the Lead for the Clinician Educator Incubator programme, and a CICM First Part Examiner.
He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives. He was one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) has been recognised for his contributions to education with awards from ANZICS, ANZAHPE, and ACEM.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Bluesky, he is @precordialthump.bsky.social and on the site that Elon has screwed up, he is @precordialthump.
| INTENSIVE | RAGE | Resuscitology | SMACC