A Patient Sustained a C4 Fracture in a Diving Accident

A patient sustained a C4 fracture in a diving accident. The patient's wife says, "I'll be so glad when he gets off the ventilator so that he can communicate with me." How should the nurse respond to this statement?

A) "It may be a few weeks before he is strong enough to breathe on his own."
B) "We don't know if he will be able to talk when we get him off the ventilator."
C) "There are ways we can teach both of you to communicate that will not require his being off the ventilator."
D) "We need to focus on his getting better, not on how he will communicate."