Oropharyngeal airway

• Easy to insert and use
• No paralysis required
• Ideal for very short procedures
• Most often used as a bridge to more definitive airway

Laryngeal mask

• Widely used
• Very easy to insert
• Device sits in pharynx and aligns to cover the airway
• Poor control against reflux of gastric contents
• Paralysis is not usually required
• Commonly used for wide range of anaesthetic uses, especially in day surgery
• Not suitable for high-pressure ventilation (small amount of PEEP often possible)

Tracheostomy

• Reduces the work of breathing (and dead space)
• May be useful in slow weaning
• Percutaneous tracheostomy widely used in ITU
• Dries secretions, humidified air usually required