A Student Nurse Looks at a Patient's Chart and Does

Multiple Choice

A student nurse looks at a patient's chart and does not understand the meaning of serious sleep apnea, so she asks the head nurse for assistance. How might the head nurse describe this condition?

A) The patient is mentally ill and tends to try to suffocate himself at times.
B) The patient cannot sleep unless he uses several pillows to deaden sounds that might awaken him.
C) The patient appears to awaken throughout the night and start walking, but he will not respond to commands.
D) The patient has a potentially life-threatening condition in which air does not flow into or out of his nose or mouth for periods of time while he is asleep.