Final answer:
A nasopharyngeal airway that is too long can stimulate the vagus nerve, leading to potential complications such as bradycardia. It does not typically cause obstruction by mucus or push the tongue anteriorly.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a nasopharyngeal airway is too long, it may stimulate the vagus nerve. The nasopharyngeal airway is designed to secure an open air passage from the nostrils to the pharynx, helping to ensure that a patient can breathe adequately. If the airway is too long, it can extend beyond the nasopharynx and reach structures that it shouldn't normally contact.
The vagus nerve is an important nerve that extends from the brain to the abdomen, passing through various structures including the pharynx. Stimulation of this nerve can have numerous effects, one of which can be altering the heart rate, potentially causing bradycardia, which is a slower than normal heart rate, not tachycardia, which is a rapid heart rate.
An overly long nasopharyngeal airway is not likely to become obstructed by mucus nor does it push the tongue anteriorly, because its placement is behind the tongue.