A patient with an oral endotracheal (ET) tube has tube feeding in progress. To address the risk for aspiration, the nurse will perform which intervention for this patient?

A. Remove the bite block and perform oral hygiene every 2 hours: While oral hygiene is important to reduce bacterial colonization and prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia, removing the bite block does not directly prevent aspiration and may risk ET tube displacement. Oral care alone is insufficient to address aspiration risk during tube feeding. B. Use chest physiotherapy to allow secretions to be suctioned: Chest physiotherapy helps mobilize pulmonary secretions but does not prevent aspiration of gastric contents from the oropharynx or stomach. Suctioning may be necessary if secretions accumulate, but it is not a primary preventative measure for aspiration during feeding. C. Maintain cuff pressure to prevent gastric secretions from entering trachea: Proper ET tube cuff inflation helps reduce microaspiration of oropharyngeal secretions but does not completely prevent reflux of gastric contents. Cuff pressure maintenance is important, yet positioning remains a more effective intervention to minimize aspiration risk during enteral feeding. D. Keep head of bed elevated at least 30-45 degrees: Elevating the head of the bed reduces the risk of aspiration by using gravity to minimize reflux of gastric contents into the oropharynx and trachea. This intervention is evidence-based, simple, and highly effective in patients with enteral feedings and an ET tube.