Which device is used to protect the airway and provide ventilation after placement?

Which device is used to protect the airway and provide ventilation after placement?

• A. Endotracheal tube
• B. NG tube
• C. Arterial line
• D. Swan-Ganz catheter

Answer: (A)

Protecting the airway and providing ventilation requires a device that sits in the trachea with a cuff to seal the airway and a channel to deliver breaths. The endotracheal tube does exactly that: it is inserted through the mouth or nose into the trachea, the cuff is inflated to prevent aspiration and create a secure airway, and it connects to a ventilator to deliver controlled ventilation. Other devices have different roles—an NG tube goes to the stomach for feeding or drainage, an arterial line monitors blood pressure, and a Swan-Ganz catheter measures cardiac and pulmonary pressures—so they do not protect the airway or provide ventilation.

Protecting the airway and providing ventilation requires a device that sits in the trachea with a cuff to seal the airway and a channel to deliver breaths. The endotracheal tube does exactly that: it is inserted through the mouth or nose into the trachea, the cuff is inflated to prevent aspiration and create a secure airway, and it connects to a ventilator to deliver controlled ventilation. Other devices have different roles—an NG tube goes to the stomach for feeding or drainage, an arterial line monitors blood pressure, and a Swan-Ganz catheter measures cardiac and pulmonary pressures—so they do not protect the airway or provide ventilation.