EOA

Abbreviation for esophageal obturator airway.

airway

(ar'wa?) 1. A natural passage for air to enter and exit the lungs.2. A device to prevent or correct an obstructed respiratory passage, esp. one inserted into the trachea and used during anesthesia or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An open airway is essential to oxygenation and ventilation. Methods for opening the airway are described in the following entries: cardiopulmonary resuscitation; chin-lift airway technique, head tilt; jaw thrust; tracheostomy. The following subentries highlight commonly used airways in advanced cardiac life support. None of them have been proven to enhance the survival of patients who suffer sudden death in the field. See: jaw thrust

CAUTION!

If a patient has a mechanism of injury involving potential trauma to the clavicles or above, the airway should be opened only with the jaw thrust maneuver.

Combitube airway

A trademark for a dual-lumen airway consisting of a tracheal tube linked to an esophageal tube. It may be inserted blindly into the oropharynx as an airway control device when an endotracheal tube is not available or when tracheal intubation with direct visualization of the vocal cords is challenging.

difficult airway

An airway that is challenging or impossible to intubate. Intubation is increasingly difficult in: older patients, patients with head or neck trauma, obese patients, and patients with craniofacial abnormalities.

esophageal gastric tube airway

Abbreviation: EGTA
esophageal obturator airway.

esophageal obturator airway

Abbreviation: EOA
An airway device (formerly used in EMS systems) consisting of an esophageal tube with a 37-cm long tube attached to a mask. To be effective, the device requires an airtight mask seal on the patient’s face. A balloon at the distal end of the tube is inflated following blind insertion into the esophagus. The device reduces the likelihood of regurgitation and aspiration of stomach contents and indirectly ventilates the lungs.

CAUTION!

Most emergency service agencies have replaced this device by more-advanced airway devices. Synonym: esophageal gastric tube airway

laryngeal mask airway

Abbreviation: LMA
An airway that can be blindly inserted into the hypopharynx to use when advanced airway control is needed during procedures that require brief anesthesia. It consists of an airway tube with a proximal cuff, which holds the middle of the tube in place at the base of the tongue, and a distal cuff to fix the end of the tube in the trachea.

CAUTION!

It should not be used in patients at high risk of aspiration. Synonym: laryngeal tracheal airway

laryngeal tracheal airway

Abbreviation: LTA
Laryngeal mask airway.

NASOPHARYNGEAL AIRWAY: A nasopharyngeal airway in proper position

nasopharyngeal airway

Abbreviation: NPA
A soft, flexible, uncuffed tube placed through the nasal passages so that the distal tip rests in the nasopharynx. It is used to maintain the free passage of air to and from the lungs in patients with facial trauma or lockjaw or in nearly comatose patients who are breathing spontaneously. Before the tube is inserted, the proper length is determined by comparing it to the distance from the tip of the patient's nose to the earlobe. The diameter should match that of the patient's pinkie. Nasopharyngeal airways are often used by respiratory therapists to reduce the trauma from repetitive nasotracheal suctioning. Synonym: nasal trumpetillustration;

CAUTION!

Bleeding from the nasopharynx may occur during emergency placement of this airway. illustration

OROPHARYNGEAL AIRWAY: An oropharyngeal airway in place

oropharyngeal airway

Abbreviation: OPA
A curved plastic device used to establish an airway in a patient by displacing the tongue from the posterior wall of the oropharynx. The device should be equal in length to the distance either from the corner of the mouth to the earlobe or from the center of the mouth to the angle of the jaw. It has a flange on the end that remains outside the mouth to keep it from being swallowed or aspirated. This device is used only in unconscious patients who do not have a gag reflex.cardiopulmonary resuscitation; illustration;

CAUTION!

The head of an unconscious patient should be stabilized before the airway is inserted to reduce the likelihood of cervical spinal cord injury and paralysis.

supraglottic airway

Supralaryngeal airway.

supralaryngeal airway

A device used as an alternative to tracheal intubation in the ventilation of the critically ill. It contains both an esophageal and a tracheal lumen and may be inserted without visualization of the vocal cords. Synonym: supraglottic airway

esophageal obturator airway

CAUTION!

Most emergency service agencies have replaced this device by more-advanced airway devices. Synonym: esophageal gastric tube airway See also: airway

EOA

Acronym	Definition
EOA➣End of Adolescence (Oxford Medical Publications)
EOA➣Economics of Aging (various organizations)
EOA➣Enemies of Afghanistan
EOA➣Early Onset Alzheimer's
EOA➣Emergency Oxygen Administration (various organizations)
EOA➣Effective Orifice Area (cardiology)
EOA➣Embedded Object Architecture
EOA➣Ethernet over Atm
EOA➣Equitana Open Air (Germany)
EOA➣Equal Opportunity Advisor
EOA➣Everquest Online Adventures (game)
EOA➣End of Appointment (various schools)
EOA➣Economic Opportunities Analysis (Oregon)
EOA➣Early Operational Assessment
EOA➣Ethics Officer Association
EOA➣East of Adelaide (London, Ontario)
EOA➣Eastern Orthopaedic Association
EOA➣Effective On or About
EOA➣End of Auction
EOA➣End Of Address
EOA➣Esophageal Obturator Airway
EOA➣Erosive Osteoarthritis
EOA➣Emerging Optical Access
EOA➣Exclusive Operating Area (emergency medical services)
EOA➣Egyptian Orthopedic Association
EOA➣European Online Academy
EOA➣Egemony of Angels (gaming)
EOA➣Essential Oil Association (USA)
EOA➣Émissions Otoacoustiques (French: Otoacoustic Emission)
EOA➣Entry of Appearance (courts)
EOA➣End Of Availability
EOA➣Expression of Appreciation (Quietly Working Foundation for the Children of Fallen Soldiers)
EOA➣Elevation-of-Arrival
EOA➣Examination, Opinion, and Advice
EOA➣Embassy of Aesthetics
EOA➣Evidence of Agreement
EOA➣Electrical Operating Area
EOA➣Engines of Aggression (band)
EOA➣Excess Ordering Authority (materials management)
EOA➣Enemy of Allah
EOA➣Exercise Operating Area
EOA➣Elites of Annihilation (gaming clan)
EOA➣Eagle of Air (website)
EOA➣Estimate of Alternatives
EOA➣Epitome of Awesome (online community)