OPA

Medical abbreviation · Emergency Medicine

OPA
Stands forOropharyngeal airway
CategoriesMedical

OPA stands for Oropharyngeal airway, an emergency medicine abbreviation.

Curved plastic device inserted into the mouth to keep the tongue from blocking the airway in unconscious patients without a gag reflex. It is sized from the corner of the mouth to the angle of the jaw.

Example: OPA inserted, size 90 mm, BVM ventilation improved.

Usage notes

In adults it is often inserted upside down and rotated into place; in children it is inserted directly with a tongue depressor. Gagging or vomiting means it should be removed. The nasopharyngeal airway is better tolerated in semiconscious patients.

More emergency medicine abbreviations

  • NEXUS – National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study
  • NOI – Nature of illness
  • NPA – Nasopharyngeal airway
  • NRP – Neonatal Resuscitation Program
  • OD – Overdose
  • OHCA – Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
  • PALS – Pediatric Advanced Life Support
  • PASG – Pneumatic anti-shock garment
  • PAT – Pediatric assessment triangle
  • PCR – Patient care report
  • PEARS – Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization
  • PECARN – Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network

See all 97 emergency medicine abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.