What is airway?

What Does airway Mean

Before proceeding to know the meaning of the term airway, we have to know its etymological origin. Specifically, this is the one of the two words that give it shape:

-Vía comes from the Latin “via”, which can be translated as path.

-Aerial, meanwhile, derives from the Greek. Exactly it comes from “aero”, which means “air”.

Via is a term that can be used as a synonym for road , path , conduit or access . Air , for its part, is that which is linked to air (the gaseous fluid that makes up the atmosphere).
The airway concept can be used in two different ways: on the one hand, it is the pre-established routes that an airplane can take ; On the other hand, the upper sector of the respiratory system is called the airway .

In aviation, therefore, an airway is a path that is mapped into the airspace . Aircraft travel through these routes from the time they take off from a certain point and until they arrive at their destination .
The airway establishes the route to follow and the height to respect. When the entire trip is made over the territory of a single nation (or over its jurisdictional waters), the airway is classified as national. On the other hand, if during the flight the plane crosses more than one country, the airway is defined as international.
As for the meaning of the idea of ​​airway in anatomy , it refers to the area of ​​the respiratory system that extends from the nostrils (where air enters the body) to the bronchioles inclusive. This means that the airways are made up of the nostrils, mouth, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles.
The airways, in turn, can be divided into upper airways (nostrils, mouth, pharynx, and larynx ) and lower airways (trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles).
It must be established that within the field of medicine, sometimes, due to certain circumstances that have taken place, it is required that doctors have to carry out the management and control of a patient's airways. Basically this consists of proceeding to clean them, clearing them of any "intruder" element that is making breathing difficult.
On many occasions, this procedure has to be undertaken through the use of different resources and mechanical tools. This would be the case, for example, of a person who has suffered cardiac arrest or someone who has been the victim of apnea or respiratory arrest.

In these situations, it is usual to proceed to clean and clear the airways starting by putting the affected person in the appropriate position. Specifically, it must be placed on its back and the jaws have to be raised.
Within this procedure, abdominal compressions or what is known as expired air ventilation also play a leading role. This last technique is commonly used to ensure that children can see their airways released and thus can breathe normally.

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