Question:easy
Identify the device shown in the image.
Identify the device shown in the image.
Show Hint
An elliptical cuffed mask on a tube that seals over, not through, the glottis.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Nasopharyngeal airway
- Endotracheal tube (cuffed)
- Guedel airway
- Laryngeal mask airway
Show Solution
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Spot diagnosis: Tube plus spoon-shaped inflatable mask equals laryngeal mask airway.
The LMA is a supraglottic device, meaning it secures the airway from above the glottis. Its cuffed elliptical mask is pushed through the mouth and down until it rests over the laryngeal inlet, where the cuff inflates to make an airtight seal, all without entering the trachea or touching the vocal cords. This intermediate position, between a simple face mask and a tracheal tube, is why it keeps a spontaneously breathing or unconscious patient's airway open during anaesthesia.
Option elimination: A Guedel (oropharyngeal) airway is solid plastic and curved with no mask, so rule it out. A nasopharyngeal airway is a thin soft tube with a flange. A cuffed endotracheal tube has a tiny cuff at the far end and goes through the cords, not a broad mask sitting over them. Only the LMA carries a mask-and-cuff at its end.
Pearl: Also called the Brain mask after its inventor Dr Archie Brain. Its main limitation is that the seal does not guarantee protection from aspiration.
The LMA is a supraglottic device, meaning it secures the airway from above the glottis. Its cuffed elliptical mask is pushed through the mouth and down until it rests over the laryngeal inlet, where the cuff inflates to make an airtight seal, all without entering the trachea or touching the vocal cords. This intermediate position, between a simple face mask and a tracheal tube, is why it keeps a spontaneously breathing or unconscious patient's airway open during anaesthesia.
Option elimination: A Guedel (oropharyngeal) airway is solid plastic and curved with no mask, so rule it out. A nasopharyngeal airway is a thin soft tube with a flange. A cuffed endotracheal tube has a tiny cuff at the far end and goes through the cords, not a broad mask sitting over them. Only the LMA carries a mask-and-cuff at its end.
Pearl: Also called the Brain mask after its inventor Dr Archie Brain. Its main limitation is that the seal does not guarantee protection from aspiration.
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