Which airway device is contraindicated with suspected basilar skull fracture?

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Multiple Choice

Which airway device is contraindicated with suspected basilar skull fracture?

In basilar skull fracture, avoid anything that passes through the nose into the skull. A nasopharyngeal airway travels from the nostril into the nasopharynx and can breach a fracture at the skull base, potentially allowing the device to enter the cranial cavity and causing intracranial injury or infection. That’s why the nasopharyngeal airway is contraindicated. Other airway options that don’t use the nasal route—such as an oropharyngeal airway, endotracheal intubation for a definitive airway, or a supraglottic device like a laryngeal mask airway—do not carry the same risk of intracranial penetration.

In basilar skull fracture, avoid anything that passes through the nose into the skull. A nasopharyngeal airway travels from the nostril into the nasopharynx and can breach a fracture at the skull base, potentially allowing the device to enter the cranial cavity and causing intracranial injury or infection. That’s why the nasopharyngeal airway is contraindicated. Other airway options that don’t use the nasal route—such as an oropharyngeal airway, endotracheal intubation for a definitive airway, or a supraglottic device like a laryngeal mask airway—do not carry the same risk of intracranial penetration.

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