What functions do medical airway perform?
Airway are medical equipment of a simple design used to maintain the patency or cleaning of the upper respiratory tract of a person who is in a deep unconscious state.
They reduce the obstruction of the respiratory tract and allow respiratory gases to circulate freely, thanks to the channel present in them. The devices are made of sterile latex-free plastic. The absence of toxic elements in the composition makes the products absolutely safe.
Types of medical airway
There are two types of devices that provide reliable air passage into the upper respiratory tract:
- Oral airway by Berman and Guedel
Oropharyngeal devices are the most commonly used for the upper respiratory tract. They are made of hard plastic and are designed to prevent the tongue from descending to the back of the pharynx, thus minimizing the risk of obstruction. Their characteristic arched shape corresponds to the curve of the tongue surface, exactly repeating its anatomical curvature.
Godel's devices consist of two parts. The first is the tube itself, slightly convex and transparent, and the second is a clamp that serves to attach and stabilize the device in the patient's mouth. The devices have a color dimensional marker in accordance with ISO standard and are packed in individual sterile packages. Currently, tubes are produced in a wide range of sizes. Their length is: 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and 120 mm. The smallest ones are suitable for newborn babies.
- Ivory nasal tubes
The nasal plastic airway are very flexible and have a perfectly smooth surface with rounded edges. They resist kinks as much as possible, which facilitates the introduction and allows the patient to freely provide air access. They are supplied together with a safety pin to enlarge the connector. The inner diameter of the tube can be 7-9 mm.
Both types of products are disposable and reusable. Multiple – use airway must be thoroughly disinfected after each use, observing strict hygiene standards to eliminate the possibility of infection transfer.
Scope of application of devices
Oropharyngeal devices are used in ambulances, emergency teams (in operating rooms), in hospital wards (intensive care units).
Airway can be effectively used in various emergency situations:
- with short-term recovery of breathing after anesthesia;
- if tracheal intubation is not possible or inappropriate;
- when manual manual methods are not enough to maintain the patency of the respiratory tract.
Guedel and Berman airway are also used to open the jaws to protect other medical devices installed in the patient's nasopharynx, such as a laryngeal mask and an endotracheal tube, from biting by teeth.
Oral airway are not used for people who are conscious or semi-conscious, as well as for people who have suffered such a craniofacial or mandibular injury, which makes it difficult or not possible to fully open the mouth for tube insertion. In these cases, flexible nasopharyngeal airway are used.
How to choose the size of the oropharyngeal tube?
In order for the oral airway to perform its task correctly, its size must be carefully selected depending on the physique and weight of the person to whom it will be injected. The sizes are assigned different colors, so the tubes are easy to distinguish from each other. There are several ways to choose the correct tube length:
- It is possible to approximately determine the length of the airway to be used at the moment by measuring the distance between the corner of the mouth and the earlobe of the patient.
- Another method is to fit the tube to a length corresponding to the distance from the center of the chin to the angle of the lower jaw.
- The third method is to measure the distance between a person's lower jaw and incisors.
Choosing the right tube size is very important. If used too long, it can close the glottis and thus completely block the airways. The use of too short often leads to the fact that the tongue is not far enough from the back of the pharynx, and this, in turn, will not bring the effect of opening the airways.
Guedel airway: features of use
The technique of tube insertion is simple and does not require additional equipment. It will be most convenient to enter the device because of the victim's head. If there is no suspicion of damage to the cervical vertebrae, you should slightly tilt your head back and push the lower jaw forward.
The airway is inserted into the patient's mouth in an inverted position compared to the position that the tube will take when it is finally installed. When you insert it, the convex part is directed downward, and then, when you feel resistance, that is, the tube reaches the junction of the soft and hard palate, turn it 180 degrees. Thus, the bulge is located at the top, closer to the palate (in accordance with the bend of the tongue). After that, carefully move it further until it takes the correct position. The tubular clamp must pass between the teeth of the victim.
If the patient regains consciousness, the tube must be immediately removed from the pharynx so as not to unnecessarily cause vomiting and ejection of food contents. This can lead to airway obstruction and suffocation with serious consequences, up to respiratory arrest.
Rotational airway insertion is not applicable to newborns! In this case, the tube is immediately placed in the position in which it should be located in the end. To assess whether the device is inserted correctly, it is necessary to observe the rise and fall of the chest during ventilation of the patient.
It is worth noting that the use of any medical devices used in critical situations requires knowledge. Each medical and rescue operation is associated with the risk of complications, but it should also be emphasized that these actions are aimed at saving a person's life.
Where to buy airway?
In the online store "Medika" you can order airway with a quality guarantee at an affordable price. All equipment has the necessary certificates and meets medical standards. Delivery is carried out throughout Ukraine by the services of the country's postal operators.