HESI Health Assessment Practice Test 2025 - Free Health Assessment Practice Questions and Study Guide.

A fully dilated and nonreactive pupil in a head-injured patient is often an indicator of increased intracranial pressure (ICP). When there is significant pressure within the skull, it can compress the optic nerve and other structures related to the eye’s functioning, leading to pupil dilation and loss of reactivity to light. This condition may indicate a critical situation, such as a brain herniation or severe brain injury, where the brain is unable to respond normally due to the elevated pressure.

While other choices might provide descriptions of potential factors in an examination setting, they do not account for the life-threatening implications that a fully dilated and nonreactive pupil has in the context of head injuries. For instance, injury to the eye itself would typically present with different signs, and a normal response would not encompass a fully dilated and nonreactive pupil. Similarly, the accuracy of the test would not alter the physiological response attributed to significant intracranial pressure elevation. Thus, understanding the connection between pupil response and ICP is crucial in clinical assessment and emergency response scenarios.