an artificial airway is a tube that is inserted into the patient's trachea in order to maintain
breathing and ventilation we created this video to cover the medical definition and
provide a brief overview of this topic so if you're ready let's get into it
airway management is the process of maintaining ventilation so that gas exchange can occur
this allows a patient to take in oxygen while removing carbon dioxide
this is important because we need to keep a patient's upper airway free and clear of foreign
substances so that air can flow into and out of the lungs and one very important aspect of airway
management involves the use of artificial airways as previously mentioned an artificial airway is a
tube that is inserted into the patient's trachea in order to maintain breathing and ventilation
this is necessary when a patient is unable to maintain their own airway or if they are at
risk of aspirating in this case an artificial airway is used to establish a link between the
patient and the mechanical ventilator there are three primary types of artificial airways
that you need to be familiar with endotracheal tubes tracheostomy tubes and pharyngeal airways
each type has different uses and advantages however in order to function properly they must be
inserted and maintained correctly which is the job of the respiratory therapist
an endotracheal tube is a small flexible tube that is inserted through the nose or mouth into
the trachea this is necessary to establish an artificial airway for a patient in need
of mechanical ventilation the endotracheal tube is secured in place with tape or a tying device
and the insertion process is known as intubation a tracheostomy tube is a small flexible tube that is
inserted through an incision in the neck and into the trachea this is generally done when
a patient is unable to tolerate intubation or if they are in need of long-term ventilatory support
after a tracheostomy tube has been inserted it is the responsibility of the respiratory therapist to
maintain the tube in place and keep the incision site clean this is known as tracheostomy care and
then we have pharyngeal airways which are small tubes used to prevent obstructions
and they extend only into the patient's fearings there are two types to be familiar
with nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal airways a nasopharyngeal airway is a small tube that is
inserted into the nasal passage of patients who require frequent nasal tracheal suction
an oropharyngeal airway is a small tube that is inserted into the mouth of an unconscious patient
to prevent the tongue from causing an obstruction a key tidbit to remember about these airways
is that the oropharyngeal airway can only be used if the patient is unconscious if the
patient is conscious with an intact gag reflex and oropharyngeal airway would be contraindicated but
again for this video we just wanted to provide you with a brief overview of the most common types of
artificial airways we have separate videos on our channel that go into more detail of
each type if you want to learn more but real quick if you don't mind hit the like button
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and just a final reminder we are not doctors this video is for informational purposes only
thank you so much for watching have a blessed day and as always