What it means
The upper airway is the nose, mouth, throat and larynx; the lower airway is the tracheaTRAY-kee-uhThe windpipe: the tube that carries air from the throat to the lungs.Full entry , bronchi and bronchioles down to the alveolusal-VEE-uh-lus (plural alveoli, al-VEE-uh-ly)One of the tiny air sacs at the ends of the smallest airways in the lungs.Full entry . The word also names a device placed to keep the passage open, such as an oral or nasal airway or a breathing tube. Airway comes first in the ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation) used to decide what to do first.
For the nurse
When choosing which client or problem to handle first, a threat to the airway (choking, swelling of the throat, a blocked tube, stridorSTRY-derA high-pitched, harsh sound made while breathing, usually heard when breathing in.Full entry ) usually comes before everything else. To open the airway of an unresponsive client without a neck injury, use the head-tilt, chin-lift.
At a glance
| Spanish | vía aérea |
|---|---|
| Also written | airways |
Related terms
aspiration
Breathing food, liquid, saliva or stomach contents into the airway and lungs; also, drawing fluid out with suction or a needle.
endotracheal intubation
Putting a breathing tube through the mouth or nose into the windpipe (trachea).
mechanical ventilation
Breathing support from a machine, a ventilator, that pushes air into the lungs through a tube or a mask.
alveolus
One of the tiny air sacs at the ends of the smallest airways in the lungs.
trachea
The windpipe: the tube that carries air from the throat to the lungs.