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Nasopharyngeal airway

Tube inserted through the nose into the throat as an artificial airway

Nasopharyngeal airway
Summary

Tube inserted through the nose into the throat as an artificial airway

FieldValue
NameNasopharyngeal airway
ImageA Rüsch Wirupren Nasopharyngeal Airway displayed in the size 28 Ch.jpg
CaptionA nasopharyngeal airway, size 28 Fr.
ICD10
ICD9
MeshID
OPS301
OtherCodes

Name = Nasopharyngeal airway | Image = A Rüsch Wirupren Nasopharyngeal Airway displayed in the size 28 Ch.jpg | Caption = A nasopharyngeal airway, size 28 Fr. | ICD10 = | ICD9 = | MeshID = | OPS301 = | OtherCodes = | HCPCSlevel2 =

In medicine, a nasopharyngeal airway (NPA), nasal trumpet (because of its flared end), or nose hose, is a type of airway adjunct, a tube that is designed to be inserted through the nasal passage down into the posterior pharynx to secure an open airway. It was introduced by in 1958. When a patient becomes unconscious, the muscles in the jaw commonly relax and can allow the tongue to slide back and obstruct the airway. This makes airway management necessary, and an NPA is one of the available tools. The purpose of the flared end is to prevent the device from becoming lost inside the patient's nose.

Sizes

As with other catheters, NPAs are measured using the French catheter scale, but sizes are usually also quoted in millimeters. Typical sizes include: 6.5 mm/28FR, 7.0 mm/30FR, 7.5 mm/32FR, 8.0 mm/34FR, and 8.5 mm/36FR.

Indications and contraindications

These devices are used by emergency care professionals such as EMTs and paramedics in situations where an artificial form of airway maintenance is necessary, but tracheal intubation is impossible, inadvisable, or outside the practitioner's scope of practice. An NPA is often used in patients who are conscious or have an altered level of consciousness where an oropharyngeal airway would trigger the gag reflex. The use of an NPA is contraindicated when there is trauma to the face, especially the nose or if there is a suspected skull fracture.

Insertion

A nasopharyngeal airway inserted in the right nostril of a patient.
A nasopharyngeal airway inserted in the right nostril of a patient.

The correct size airway is chosen by measuring the device on the patient: the device should reach from the patient's nostril to the earlobe or the angle of the jaw. The outside of the tube is lubricated with a lubricant, often water-soluble (depending on the product) so that it enters the nose more easily while also lowering the chance of causing nasal trauma to the patient. The device is inserted until the flared end rests against the nostril.

References

References

  1. Wendl H K. The story of the Wendl tube and its use. In: Schulte am Esch J, Goerig M (eds.) Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on the History of Anaesthesia. DrägerDruck, Lübeck, 1998, S. 531–534
  2. James R. Sills. (16 March 2015). "The Comprehensive Respiratory Therapist Exam Review – E-Book: Entry and Advanced Levels". Elsevier Health Sciences.
  3. (15 August 2017). "Nancy Caroline's Emergency Care in the Streets". Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  4. (2012). "Mosby's Paramedic Textbook". Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
  5. (2022). "Nasopharyngeal Airway". StatPearls Publishing.
  6. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier. (23 April 2012). "Textbook of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, 2nd Ed". Bukupedia.
  7. (27 April 2015). "Practical Medical Procedures at a Glance". John Wiley & Sons.
  8. (2022). "Nasopharyngeal Airway". StatPearls Publishing.
  9. Daniel Limmer and Michael F. O'Keefe. 2005. ''Emergency Care'' 10th ed. Edward T. Dickinson, Ed. Pearson, Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Page 147.
  10. (April 2006). "ACLS for EMT-Basics". Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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