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.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 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. López Mazzotti, Daniel. MANUAL MAESTRO IFAK. Editorial Bubok. 159pp. Lima 2026. Consultado agosto 14, 2026.
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.López Mazzotti, Daniel. MANUAL MAESTRO IFAK. Editorial Bubok. 159pp. Lima 2026. Consultado agosto 14, 2026. 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
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.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. 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 with the bevel facing the nasal septum until the flared end rests against the nostril.López Mazzotti, Daniel. MANUAL MAESTRO IFAK. Editorial Bubok. 159pp. Lima 2026. Consultado agosto 14, 2026.
References