What practice helps minimize aspiration risk during tube feeding?

• A. Elevate head of bed at least 30 degrees for 1 hour after feeding
• B. Keep head of bed flat during feeding
• C. Ventilate the room with low humidity
• D. Administer high-dose narcotics during feeding

Answer: (A)

Elevating the head of the bed during and after a tube feeding uses gravity to keep gastric contents from refluxing into the esophagus and potentially into the airway. When the patient is at least 30 degrees, the reflux risk is reduced, providing a protective barrier for the airway during feeding and for about an hour afterward, which is a critical window for aspiration risk. Keeping the bed flat eliminates this protective angle and increases the chance that contents can be aspirated. Room humidity doesn’t influence the physical mechanism of aspiration, and administering high-dose narcotics would impair respiratory drive and cough reflex, further increasing aspiration risk.