During an assessment of a 22-year-old woman who sustained a head injury from a motor vehicle accident 4 hours earlier, the nurse notices the following changes: pupils were equal, but now the right pupil is fully dilated and nonreactive; and the left pupil is 4 mm and reacts to light.What do these findings suggest?

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In a person with a brain injury, a sudden, unilateral, dilated, and nonreactive pupil is ominous.Cranial nerve III runs parallel to the brainstem.When increasing intracranial pressure pushes down the brainstem (uncal herniation), it puts pressure on Cranial nerve III, causing pupil dilation.The other responses are incorrect.

During an Assessment of a 22-Year-Old Woman Who Sustained a Head