Administration of Oxygen with a Catheter through an Oropharyngeal Airway: A Comparison with the Nasal Route

Abstract

With an oropharyngeal airway in place administration of oxygen through the nose does not always result in a rise in arterial oxygen tension. It appears that air inspired through the low resistance oropharyngeal airway can bypass the nasopharyngeal pool of oxygen. This study demonstrates that consistent rises of arterial PO₂ occur only when the oxygen catheter is placed within the oropharyngeal airway.