Which airway device is described as giving an unsecured airway?

• A. Endotracheal tube (ETT)
• B. Laryngeal mask airway (LMA)
• C. Naso-pharyngeal airway
• D. Oropharyngeal airway

Answer: (B)

Unsecured airway means a device that does not provide a protected, definitive seal inside the trachea and can be easily displaced. A laryngeal mask airway sits above the glottis and ventilates by sealing around the entrance to the larynx, but it does not enter the trachea and has no cuff protecting the lower airway. It can shift or be expelled with movement, so it does not offer the same level of airway protection as an endotracheal tube. In contrast, an endotracheal tube is placed inside the trachea and can be cuffed to seal the airway, providing both ventilation and protection from aspiration, and is secured to prevent movement. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal airways simply maintain a patent airway without sealing or protecting it, so they are not considered secure airway devices.