NPA 26 Nasopharyngeal Cannula

NPA devices are plastic hollow or soft rubber tubes that a healthcare provider can utilize to help with oxygenation and ventilation of a patient that is difficult to oxygenate or ventilate via BVM. NPAs are passed through the nose and pass through to the posterior pharynx. NPAs do not cause patients to gag and therefore are the best airway adjunct route in an awake patient and the better choice in a semiconscious patient that may not tolerate an OPA due to the gag reflex.

The NPA is not pre-treated with lubricant. The healthcare provider must apply this to the NPA himself