A patient has been admitted to the emergency department for a suspected drug overdose.His respirations are shallow,with an irregular pattern,with a rate of 12 per minute.The nurse interprets this respiration pattern as which of the following?

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Hypoventilation is characterized by an irregular,shallow pattern,and can be caused by an overdose of narcotics or anesthetics.Bradypnea is slow breathing,with a rate less than 10 respirations per minute.See Table 18-4 for descriptions of Cheyne-Stokes respirations and chronic obstructive breathing.

A Patient Has Been Admitted to the Emergency Department for a Suspected