• • Oropharyngeal airways provide a conduit for airflow through the mouth to the pharynx.

  • Oropharyngeal airways prevent mandibular tissue from obstructing the posterior pharynx.

  • Oropharyngeal airways may be used in the unconscious infant or child if procedures (ie, head tilt-chin lift or jaw thrust) to open the airway fail to provide and maintain a clear, unobstructed airway.

Absolute

• • Avoid inserting an oropharyngeal airway in conscious or semiconscious patients because it may stimulate gagging and vomiting.

• • Oropharyngeal airways come in various sizes ranging from 4 cm to 10 cm.

  • Oropharyngeal airways consist of a flange, a short bite-block segment, and a curved body usually made of plastic and shaped to provide an air channel and suction conduit through the mouth.

• • Oropharyngeal airways do not prevent aspiration.

• • Measure the distance from the central incisors to the angle of the mandible to approximate the correct size oral airway.