Skip to main content
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Trauma Care pp 93–98Cite as

Airway Anatomy

  • 632 Accesses

Synonyms

Air route; Breathing passage; Respiratory tract; Ventilation passage

Definition

The passageway by which air enters and exits the lungs through the nares or oropharynx.

The airway is a continuous passageway but can be further categorized into the upper and lower airway. The upper airway begins from the nares and oropharynx to the vocal cords (Fig. 1a and b). The lower airway is located below the level of the vocal cords and extends distally.

Airway Anatomy, Fig. 1
figure 114

(a) Sagittal view of the upper airway anatomy. (b) Anatomy of the larynx and vocal cords as seen through laryngoscopy

Full size image

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_4
  • Chapter length: 6 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   699.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-3-642-29613-0
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Hardcover Book
USD   849.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Learn about institutional subscriptions
Airway Anatomy, Fig. 1
Airway Anatomy, Fig. 2

References

  • Feliciano DV, Moore EE, Mattox KL (2004) Trauma, 5th edn. McGraw Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Field JM et al (2010) American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care science. Circulation 122(18 suppl 3):S639

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Finucane BT, Tsui Dip Eng BCH, Santora AH (2011) Principles of airway management. Springer, New York, pp 1–25

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Gestring M, Difficult airway algorithm. University of rochester emergency medicine residents handbook

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimoff RJ (2005) Physiology of the upper airways and upper airway obstruction in disease. In: Hamid O, Martin J, Shannon J (eds) Physiological basis of respiratory disease, 1st edn. People’s Medical Publishing House, Hamilton, pp 581–596

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcus CL et al (1991) Obstructive sleep apnea in children with Down syndrome. Pediatrics 88(1):132–139

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pawha P, Jiang N, Shpilberg K, Luttrull M, Govindaraj S (2013) Gross and radiographic anatomy. In: Levine AI, Govindaraj S, Demaria S (eds) Anesthesiology and otolaryngology, 1st edn. Springer, New York, pp 3–33

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts JR (2004) Clinical procedures in emergency medicine, 4th edn. W.B. Saunders, An Imprint of Elsevier, Philadelphia, pp 62–106

    Google Scholar 

  • Weathers E (2010) The anatomy of the pediatric airway. RC Educational Consulting Services, Brockton, MA, pp 11–12

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Ruth Fabiano and Scott Brzezinski for photography

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of South Carolina Medical School, Greenville, SC, USA

    Sarah Fabiano

  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, State University of New York University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Penelope C. Lema

Authors
  1. Sarah Fabiano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Penelope C. Lema
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah Fabiano .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Anesthesiology, Surgery and Neurosurgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA

    Peter J. Papadakos

  2. Department of Surgery, Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Rochester, School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA

    Mark L. Gestring

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this entry

Cite this entry

Fabiano, S., Lema, P.C. (2015). Airway Anatomy. In: Papadakos, P.J., Gestring, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Trauma Care. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29613-0_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-29611-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-29613-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine