Shaken Baby Syndrome
Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is a description of certain types of brain injuries similar to whiplash that typically occur after an infant or toddler is shaken violently. Because infants and toddlers possess proportionately larger heads than adults and weaker neck muscles, they are unable to restrain the movement of their heads when shaken. Additionally, in infants particularly, the skull bones are not fully sealed and the brain is more mobile within the cranium. As a result, shaking also causes the brain to bounce within the skull. The characteristic injuries of shaken baby syndrome are subdural hemorrhages (bleeding in the brain), retinal hemorrhages (bleeding in the retina), damage to the spinal cord and neck, and fractures of the ribs and bones. Symptoms of shaken baby syndrome include extreme irritability, lethargy, poor feeding, breathing problems, convulsions, vomiting, and pale or bluish skin. Shaken baby injuries usually occur in children younger than 2 years old, but may be seen in children up to the age of 5.[1] The CDC estimates that 1200 to 1600 children die annually from shaken baby syndrome.[2] Accusations of shaken baby syndrome have resulted in a number of trials and convictions of caregivers of murder or manslaughter.
Some researchers have determined that the symptoms and injuries of SBS can in some cases be attributed to other types of head injury which can result from severe falls. Some physicians have cast doubt or even completely rejected diagnosis of SBS when there is a lack of outward physical signs of abuse.[3]
