Abstract: An artificial airway device, for use in place of an endotracheal tube to facilitate lung ventilation in an unconscious patient, is in the form of a laryngeal mask comprising an airway tube opening into the interior space of lumen of a mask portion whose periphery, which may be inflatable, is adapted to seal around inlet to the larynx, thus securing the patient's airway and permitting spontaneous or controlled ventilation. Drainage from the anterior region of the mask or directly from the oesophagus is provided by suitably arranged drainage tubes arranged for insertion with the mask. A soft, flexible upstanding collar is carried by the periphery of the mask, so as to surround the lumen of the mask and improve the sealing contact with the tissues around the circumference of the laryngeal inlet.