Guedel Airway

The Guedel airway is an oropharyngeal airway (OPA) - a curved rigid adjunct that holds the tongue clear of the posterior pharynx in an unconscious patient. It is one of the most basic and most useful airway devices there is, and the whole of its usefulness depends on choosing the right size. The full range runs from #000 (3cm) to #6 (11cm).

Why choose the right Guedel airway size

Sizing is the entire skill with this device, and it is measured, not guessed. Measure from the corner of the patient's mouth to the angle of the mandible (the jaw), and choose the airway whose length matches that distance. Too short and it pushes the tongue back instead of holding it forward; too long and it can reach the larynx and provoke laryngospasm or vomiting.

Work from the printed length in centimetres, not from colour. Colour coding is not standardised across manufacturers, so a colour that means one size in one brand may mean another elsewhere. The mm or cm marking is the reliable reference, which is why the full length range is listed below rather than a colour key.

It is strictly for the unconscious patient without a gag reflex. In anyone with an intact gag reflex it provokes retching and risks aspiration - in that situation a nasopharyngeal airway is the better-tolerated adjunct. Insertion technique matters too, and this is equipment for people trained in airway management, not general first aid.

Key features

• Curved oropharyngeal design - holds the tongue clear of the pharynx
• Full range of nine sizes, #000 through #6
• Lengths from 3cm to 11cm covering neonate to large adult
• Sized by measuring mouth corner to angle of the mandible
• Length printed on the device - not reliant on colour coding
• For unconscious patients without a gag reflex
• For use by those trained in airway management

Specifications

Common uses

Ambulance and retrieval services, emergency departments, theatre and recovery, resuscitation trolleys, and workplace and remote-area kits where trained responders are on site. Training organisations buy the full size range so candidates practise measuring rather than reaching for a familiar colour. Because sizing is patient-specific, stocking the range matters more than stocking depth in any one size. Where a gag reflex is intact, the nasopharyngeal airway is the better-tolerated alternative. Stocked with our paramedic supplies and the wider first aid supplies range.