Oropharyngeal airway

The Guedel (1933 presented by Arthur Ernest Guedel, American anesthesiologist, 1883-1956 ) is used to keep the upper airway. However, it does not protect against aspiration. This is an oropharyngeal airway.

A Guedel airway consists of a flattened, hard plastic tube on one side of a circular bearing surface ( plate) has to be a straight about 2-3 cm long piece of pipe connects. Behind it begins a curved piece, the first a semicircle upwards describes the range 1-2 cm down in an enlarged radius of the imaginary base line of the straight piece. The Guedel airway is inserted carefully because of its curved shape with the end up in the mouth and then rotated to its final position.

For the emergency medicine Guedel tubes are typically provided in sets with up to nine different sizes. The different sizes are to be identified by their different color, different manufacturers, however, use different color codes.

When inserted into the oral cavity of the tube shield in front of the lips comes to rest, the teeth lie on the straight piece. The arc corresponds to the curvature of the lower jaw with the tongue resting and extends to the base of the neck (towards the trachea ). Through this form, the tongue is moved out of the airway and the respiratory obstruction is removed, as this falls back to an unconscious person and the respiratory tract laid. Is used the Guedel airway with mask ventilation by bag into the emergency and intensive care medicine and anesthesia. It may continue to serve as a bite guard during endotracheal intubated patients to prevent damage to the endotracheal tube through his teeth.

The Wendl tube has a similar function, but inserted through the nose.