Shaken baby syndrome

• Published in: Annales françaises d'anesthésie et de réanimation Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 133
• Main Authors: Granry, J C, Chapotte, C, Monrigal, J P, Benetreau, D, Penneau, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: France 1994
• Subjects: Battered Child Syndrome; Brain - diagnostic imaging; Fatal Outcome; Female; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage - diagnosis; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage - etiology; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 0750-7658
• DOI: 10.1016/S0750-7658(94)80198-3

The shaken baby syndrome is a relatively recent concept concerning mishandled children and characterized by cerebral lesions (subarachnoid haemorrhage, oedema, axonal injuries). A case is reported of a 11-month-old female infant, who was admitted in a paediatric intensive care unit with clinical signs of brain death after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The CT scan showed subdural haemorrhage. Pathological examination confirmed the major blunt head trauma. The father admitted that he had shaken his daughter as "she cried too often". The mechanism of the lesions is a combination of several factors, especially the large size of infant's head and the weakness of the neck muscles. It is possible to recognize still in the perinatal period children at risk of mishandling, allowing an efficient prevention of the shaken baby syndrome.