Question

Identify the device shown in the image.

• A. Nasopharyngeal airway
• B. Endotracheal tube (cuffed)
• C. Guedel airway
• D. Laryngeal mask airway

Hint:

An elliptical cuffed mask on a tube that seals over, not through, the glottis.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Look at the shape. The device is an airway tube ending in an elliptical, spoon-shaped mask with an inflatable cuff around its rim.
Step 2: Match it. That elliptical cuffed mask on a tube is the laryngeal mask airway (LMA), a supraglottic airway invented by Dr Archie Brain (hence 'Brain mask').
Step 3: Recall how it works. The mask seats over the laryngeal inlet and forms a gas-tight seal around it, without passing through the vocal cords, so it sits above the glottis rather than inside the trachea.
Why the others are wrong: A nasopharyngeal airway is a soft, flanged tube with no mask. A cuffed endotracheal tube is a long tube with a small balloon near its tip that passes through the cords. A Guedel airway is a rigid, curved, hollow oropharyngeal airway with no cuff or mask.
Caution: The LMA seal does not reliably prevent aspiration, so avoid it in full-stomach patients.