Shaken Baby Syndrome Essay
Shaken baby syndrome is a serious medical condition that results from a severe form of child abuse. Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) can also be called abusive head trauma (AHT), inflicted traumatic brain injury (ITBI), whiplash syndrome, and lastly, shaken impact syndrome. Regardless of which name is used to refer to it, shaken baby syndrome is one hundred percent avoidable. A British pediatric neurosurgeon Norman Guthkelch, was credited with developing the medical theory in 1971 that laid the ground work for what later would became known as shaken baby syndrome (Alonzo). According to the Center for Disease Control’s traumatic brain injury website, “Heads up: Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome,” shaken baby results from violently shaking an infant
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by the shoulders, arms, or legs. Within as little as four seconds, critical brain damage can begin to occur. The shaking causes bleeding on the brain, otherwise known as, subdural hemorrhages and bleeding in the retinas, also known as, retinal hemorrhages. Shaken baby syndrome has become problematic with its monumental side effects (Heads Up). The Cleveland Clinic, a website based out of Children’s Hospital in Cleveland says that SBS affects newborn babies up to one year of age; but there are cases of SBS in children up to five years of age. Babies two to four months are the most commonly affected (Cleveland Clinic). Shaken baby syndrome is becoming an epidemic that has catastrophic repercussions, and can be avoided just by not shaking a baby. The main reason why infants and toddlers are affected is due to the proportion of their heads in comparison to the rest of their bodies.
When an infant is shaken, the brain moves back and forth violently against the sides of the skull. This will result in brain swelling, otherwise known as encephalopathy, bruising, and bleeding within the brain (Cleveland Clinic). Babies have soft brains and weak neck muscles. The soft brain makes damage to the brain occur more rapidly than that of an older child. Babies also have delicate blood vessels (Heads Up). This causes damage to the brain and eyes much faster and easier than …show more content…
normal. The consequences of shaking a baby are horrific. One out of every four babies who are violently shaken will die from shaken baby (Head Up). The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, a website written by Alex Levin, “explains how twenty-five percent of innocent children will die from something completely avoidable.” Of those who do survive, eighty percent suffer permanent disabilities or neurological damage. Shaken baby is the leading cause of death in abusive head trauma (AHT) cases. An estimated one thousand two hundred – one thousand four hundred children were injured or killed each year, just in the United States alone, from shaken baby. The numbers are estimated due to many cases going undetected or reported. Over three hundred babies each year die from SBS in the United States. Medical costs associated with initial long-term care for these children can range from $300,000 to more than one million dollars (Levin). A very reputable website for medical related information is WebMD. According to this site, symptoms of shaken baby syndrome can appear right away or within several days. The child’s age, the number of abusive episodes, and degree of force used are the main factors that affect when symptoms appear and how severe they are. The initial symptoms can often mimic common illnesses. This makes it very hard for doctors to detect right away. Common beginning symptoms associated with SBS include: lack of movement, pale skin, extreme irritability, vomiting, poor appetite, sluggishness and extreme tiredness, or “lethargy”. These symptoms mimic the symptoms found in many early childhood illnesses: ear infections, stomach flu, or “gastroenteritis,” and kidney infections. Unless doctors were informed properly, the child could be suffering, and it may go undiagnosed (WebMD). Parents need to learn to trust their instincts, if something doesn’t seem right with their child, they should seek medical attention right away. Doctors may suspect SBS when the parents or caregivers are vague or misleading about what has happened to the child. This is especially true when symptoms are severe and indicate intentional head injury. Diagnosis can be confirmed with a medical history that includes a detailed timeline of symptoms. This history includes noting changes in the child’s behavior and when they occurred. This information helps doctors figure out when an injury was likely to have occurred. A physical exam is done to look for signs of injury and increased blood pressure (WebMD). The normal heart rate for an infant is above one hundred beats per minute, and the respirations are between thirty to sixty breaths per minute (LiveStrong). If these numbers are elevated or seem distressed, other tests are then ordered to help doctors identify injuries that are commonly associated with SBS (WebMD). In the most severe cases, right after be shaken a child loses consciousness or stop breathing altogether (WebMD). The child may then have difficulty breathing, have a slow heart rate, or become unable to breathe at all. This can result in parents or caregivers attempting to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, “or CPR,” and then later claiming that the CPR caused the child’s injuries. Or the caregiver responsible for the abuse may put the child to bed, hoping the condition will improve after the child rests. By the time the child receives medical attention, the child will be, unable to speak, suck, swallow, smile, make sounds, follow movement with their eyes, or resulting in death (Heads Up). These children usually die or have long-lasting problems from severe brain injuries (WebMD). Another common symptom is bleeding in one or both eyes. This will be detected by pediatric eye specialists, “also known as an ophthalmologist.” Broken bones are also very common in shaken baby cases. The child often has breaks or fractures in the ribs, arms, or legs from the shaking. Sometimes a child will also have other signs of physical abuse, such as other bruises or burns (WebMD). Other signs that shaken baby has occurred would be bruising, usually where one would grab them to shake them, a bulging soft spot, an enlarged forehead, inability or use his or her head, tremors, inability to focus or follow movement with his or her eyes, and unconsciousness (Cleveland Clinic). Also, other complications a child faces if he or she survives include: blindness, deafness, trouble seeing, seizures, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, emotional difficulties, or behavior problems, the inability to eat or breathe on his or her own. This would result in a use of a ventilator to help him or her breathe, and the insertion of a feeding tube (WebMD). The tests that are used to detect if shaken baby syndrome has occurred are CT scans, a procedure that takes detailed computer pictures of the brain. It can be used to detect bleeding or swelling caused from the shaking. MRI’s, a procedure that takes detailed pictures of the brain using a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to project these pictures, is another resource doctors frequently use. This test can be used to determine the extent of the brain injury. Lab tests, including blood work to look for evidence of bleeding or the blood's ability to clot are also used. The blood work also rules out other ideas such as metabolic conditions. An eye evaluation may also be ordered by a qualified ophthalmologist to check for blood behind the eyes. X-rays of the bones in arms and legs are ordered to check for signs of abuse. This includes new or healing fractures. Lastly, “a lumbar puncture, or LP,” may also be ordered. A lumbar puncture looks for blood in the fluid around the child’s spinal cord. Also a lumbar puncture can rule out meningitis as a possible cause for the child’s symptoms. Meningitis mimics the signs that SBS has as well (WebMD). Each state has its own reporting procedures for child abuse or neglect, which includes shaken baby syndrome. In general, a doctor who suspects SBS must notify local child welfare officials and law enforcement agencies. The person who is suspected of injuring the child is then questioned and evaluated along with anyone who provided care for that child. Any other children who were cared for by the suspect may be examined and older children may be interviewed. Children age three and younger may have skeletal X-rays taken. The authorities’ primary goal here is to protect the child or children involved from further injury. The person who caused the injury may be legally charged and tried for assault (WebMD). Who shakes a child? Valencia Higuera, the writer for the Healthline website wrote about SBS. Her work was also reviewed by Dr. George Krucik, and she says the statistics show that it is mostly men, predominantly in their twenties, are accused of shaking their children. The statistics for men that were found guilty of shaking a baby is three times more than woman. Shaken baby occurs in every income range, and all ethnic backgrounds (Higuera). What would motivate someone to shake a child? More often than not, parents or caregivers get frustrated with the child’s crying, and are unable to cope with the screaming. Inconsolable crying is a primary trigger for shaking a baby syndrome (Heads Up). Parents may think that shaking the baby will cause him or her to quit crying. Some individuals are unaware of the long-term consequences to shaking a child. They may not know any better if they are a young parent, or just believe that the side effects are exaggerated, or over inflated (Cleveland Clinic).Other causes that lead to one shaking a child are that the parents have unrealistic expectations of parenting or babies, being young parents, or a single parent, stress, domestic abuse, alcohol or drug abuse, unstable family conditions, depression, or a history of mistreatment as a child (Cleveland Clinic). During an interview with Michelle Dornin, a counselor at Total Family Service, she stated, “Having nineteen years of experience working with families’ children, shaken baby syndrome usually stems from deeper issues with the perpetrator.
The perpetrator may have drug and/or alcohol issues, anger problems, and/or mental health issues. However, rarely it is planned to harm the child; although, it’s possible. While under the influence, one’s judgment becomes impaired. When anger is involved, anything could happen because one is unable to control a situation and can become explosive at any time.” This is just one example of how other issues come into play with shaken baby syndrome
(Dornin). The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, NCSBS, has come up with a great program. The program raises awareness and prevention to thousands of parents, students, and caregivers throughout the world. The program is known as “The Period of PURPLE Crying.” The word period in the title means that the crying has a beginning and an end. It then gives an acronym for the word purple. “P” stands for the peak of crying. This is when your baby may cry more each week, the most in month two, then less in months three through five. “U” stands for unexpected. This is when a baby may cry on and off and the parent doesn’t understand why. “R” stands for resist soothing. This means the baby may not stop crying no matter what attempts a parent makes. The second “P” stands for pain-like face. This means a crying baby may look like he or she is in pain, even when he or she is not. “L” stands for long-lasting. This means a baby’s crying may last up to five hours a day, or more.” E” stands for the evening. This says a baby may cry more in the late afternoon and evenings (Levin). How is shaken baby syndrome treated? First and most importantly, if a parent feels that his or her child has been shaken or shows signs or symptoms of shaken baby syndrome, seek medical attention immediately. As soon as a parent or caregiver is aware of the fact that the child has been shaken, medical attention is needed. The goal of immediate care of SBS is to halt any further brain damage and to support the child. Early intervention is a necessary treatment or therapy to help long-term recovery. If the shaking is serious enough, the child may need surgery to stop the bleeding on the brain. This may involve placement of a shunt, or a thin tube, in the head, to drain excess blood and fluid to relieve the pressure. There is no medication to treat SBS. Eye surgery may also be needed to remove blood before it permanently affects the vision (Higuera). A child with SBS is admitted to a hospital for observation and treatment. Doctors closely monitor the child. Doctors watch for signs of brain swelling and difficulty breathing, which can lead to a stroke or death of brain cells. If signs of these problems occur, supportive care begins. The child is admitted to an intensive care unit where he or she is treated with oxygen therapy and/or a ventilator. A neurosurgeon may treat the bleeding and swelling on the brain and perform surgery if it is needed. Other treatment depends on the child’s specific injuries. For example, a cast is applied to any bones, and cuts stitched or bandaged. A child who has seizures is evaluated by a neurologist who may prescribe anticonvulsant medicine. Other types of specialists assess, treat, and monitor children who have long-term care issues, such as those related to intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities (WebMD). If the child survives the injuries, a full recovery can take months to years. This type of injury can impair or delay motor skills. The simplest tasks like eating, walking, or speech will need worked with or even re-learned, depending on age of occurrence. Early intervention is a form of rehabilitation. It can help your child develop motor skills as expected. The treatments include working with a team of doctors, nurses, and rehabilitation therapists. The sooner this treatment starts, the better the baby will do over time (Heads Up).
by the shoulders, arms, or legs. Within as little as four seconds, critical brain damage can begin to occur. The shaking causes bleeding on the brain, otherwise known as, subdural hemorrhages and bleeding in the retinas, also known as, retinal hemorrhages. Shaken baby syndrome has become problematic with its monumental side effects (Heads Up). The Cleveland Clinic, a website based out of Children’s Hospital in Cleveland says that SBS affects newborn babies up to one year of age; but there are cases of SBS in children up to five years of age. Babies two to four months are the most commonly affected (Cleveland Clinic). Shaken baby syndrome is becoming an epidemic that has catastrophic repercussions, and can be avoided just by not shaking a baby. The main reason why infants and toddlers are affected is due to the proportion of their heads in comparison to the rest of their bodies.
When an infant is shaken, the brain moves back and forth violently against the sides of the skull. This will result in brain swelling, otherwise known as encephalopathy, bruising, and bleeding within the brain (Cleveland Clinic). Babies have soft brains and weak neck muscles. The soft brain makes damage to the brain occur more rapidly than that of an older child. Babies also have delicate blood vessels (Heads Up). This causes damage to the brain and eyes much faster and easier than …show more content…
normal. The consequences of shaking a baby are horrific. One out of every four babies who are violently shaken will die from shaken baby (Head Up). The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, a website written by Alex Levin, “explains how twenty-five percent of innocent children will die from something completely avoidable.” Of those who do survive, eighty percent suffer permanent disabilities or neurological damage. Shaken baby is the leading cause of death in abusive head trauma (AHT) cases. An estimated one thousand two hundred – one thousand four hundred children were injured or killed each year, just in the United States alone, from shaken baby. The numbers are estimated due to many cases going undetected or reported. Over three hundred babies each year die from SBS in the United States. Medical costs associated with initial long-term care for these children can range from $300,000 to more than one million dollars (Levin). A very reputable website for medical related information is WebMD. According to this site, symptoms of shaken baby syndrome can appear right away or within several days. The child’s age, the number of abusive episodes, and degree of force used are the main factors that affect when symptoms appear and how severe they are. The initial symptoms can often mimic common illnesses. This makes it very hard for doctors to detect right away. Common beginning symptoms associated with SBS include: lack of movement, pale skin, extreme irritability, vomiting, poor appetite, sluggishness and extreme tiredness, or “lethargy”. These symptoms mimic the symptoms found in many early childhood illnesses: ear infections, stomach flu, or “gastroenteritis,” and kidney infections. Unless doctors were informed properly, the child could be suffering, and it may go undiagnosed (WebMD). Parents need to learn to trust their instincts, if something doesn’t seem right with their child, they should seek medical attention right away. Doctors may suspect SBS when the parents or caregivers are vague or misleading about what has happened to the child. This is especially true when symptoms are severe and indicate intentional head injury. Diagnosis can be confirmed with a medical history that includes a detailed timeline of symptoms. This history includes noting changes in the child’s behavior and when they occurred. This information helps doctors figure out when an injury was likely to have occurred. A physical exam is done to look for signs of injury and increased blood pressure (WebMD). The normal heart rate for an infant is above one hundred beats per minute, and the respirations are between thirty to sixty breaths per minute (LiveStrong). If these numbers are elevated or seem distressed, other tests are then ordered to help doctors identify injuries that are commonly associated with SBS (WebMD). In the most severe cases, right after be shaken a child loses consciousness or stop breathing altogether (WebMD). The child may then have difficulty breathing, have a slow heart rate, or become unable to breathe at all. This can result in parents or caregivers attempting to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, “or CPR,” and then later claiming that the CPR caused the child’s injuries. Or the caregiver responsible for the abuse may put the child to bed, hoping the condition will improve after the child rests. By the time the child receives medical attention, the child will be, unable to speak, suck, swallow, smile, make sounds, follow movement with their eyes, or resulting in death (Heads Up). These children usually die or have long-lasting problems from severe brain injuries (WebMD). Another common symptom is bleeding in one or both eyes. This will be detected by pediatric eye specialists, “also known as an ophthalmologist.” Broken bones are also very common in shaken baby cases. The child often has breaks or fractures in the ribs, arms, or legs from the shaking. Sometimes a child will also have other signs of physical abuse, such as other bruises or burns (WebMD). Other signs that shaken baby has occurred would be bruising, usually where one would grab them to shake them, a bulging soft spot, an enlarged forehead, inability or use his or her head, tremors, inability to focus or follow movement with his or her eyes, and unconsciousness (Cleveland Clinic). Also, other complications a child faces if he or she survives include: blindness, deafness, trouble seeing, seizures, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, emotional difficulties, or behavior problems, the inability to eat or breathe on his or her own. This would result in a use of a ventilator to help him or her breathe, and the insertion of a feeding tube (WebMD). The tests that are used to detect if shaken baby syndrome has occurred are CT scans, a procedure that takes detailed computer pictures of the brain. It can be used to detect bleeding or swelling caused from the shaking. MRI’s, a procedure that takes detailed pictures of the brain using a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to project these pictures, is another resource doctors frequently use. This test can be used to determine the extent of the brain injury. Lab tests, including blood work to look for evidence of bleeding or the blood's ability to clot are also used. The blood work also rules out other ideas such as metabolic conditions. An eye evaluation may also be ordered by a qualified ophthalmologist to check for blood behind the eyes. X-rays of the bones in arms and legs are ordered to check for signs of abuse. This includes new or healing fractures. Lastly, “a lumbar puncture, or LP,” may also be ordered. A lumbar puncture looks for blood in the fluid around the child’s spinal cord. Also a lumbar puncture can rule out meningitis as a possible cause for the child’s symptoms. Meningitis mimics the signs that SBS has as well (WebMD). Each state has its own reporting procedures for child abuse or neglect, which includes shaken baby syndrome. In general, a doctor who suspects SBS must notify local child welfare officials and law enforcement agencies. The person who is suspected of injuring the child is then questioned and evaluated along with anyone who provided care for that child. Any other children who were cared for by the suspect may be examined and older children may be interviewed. Children age three and younger may have skeletal X-rays taken. The authorities’ primary goal here is to protect the child or children involved from further injury. The person who caused the injury may be legally charged and tried for assault (WebMD). Who shakes a child? Valencia Higuera, the writer for the Healthline website wrote about SBS. Her work was also reviewed by Dr. George Krucik, and she says the statistics show that it is mostly men, predominantly in their twenties, are accused of shaking their children. The statistics for men that were found guilty of shaking a baby is three times more than woman. Shaken baby occurs in every income range, and all ethnic backgrounds (Higuera). What would motivate someone to shake a child? More often than not, parents or caregivers get frustrated with the child’s crying, and are unable to cope with the screaming. Inconsolable crying is a primary trigger for shaking a baby syndrome (Heads Up). Parents may think that shaking the baby will cause him or her to quit crying. Some individuals are unaware of the long-term consequences to shaking a child. They may not know any better if they are a young parent, or just believe that the side effects are exaggerated, or over inflated (Cleveland Clinic).Other causes that lead to one shaking a child are that the parents have unrealistic expectations of parenting or babies, being young parents, or a single parent, stress, domestic abuse, alcohol or drug abuse, unstable family conditions, depression, or a history of mistreatment as a child (Cleveland Clinic). During an interview with Michelle Dornin, a counselor at Total Family Service, she stated, “Having nineteen years of experience working with families’ children, shaken baby syndrome usually stems from deeper issues with the perpetrator.
The perpetrator may have drug and/or alcohol issues, anger problems, and/or mental health issues. However, rarely it is planned to harm the child; although, it’s possible. While under the influence, one’s judgment becomes impaired. When anger is involved, anything could happen because one is unable to control a situation and can become explosive at any time.” This is just one example of how other issues come into play with shaken baby syndrome
(Dornin). The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, NCSBS, has come up with a great program. The program raises awareness and prevention to thousands of parents, students, and caregivers throughout the world. The program is known as “The Period of PURPLE Crying.” The word period in the title means that the crying has a beginning and an end. It then gives an acronym for the word purple. “P” stands for the peak of crying. This is when your baby may cry more each week, the most in month two, then less in months three through five. “U” stands for unexpected. This is when a baby may cry on and off and the parent doesn’t understand why. “R” stands for resist soothing. This means the baby may not stop crying no matter what attempts a parent makes. The second “P” stands for pain-like face. This means a crying baby may look like he or she is in pain, even when he or she is not. “L” stands for long-lasting. This means a baby’s crying may last up to five hours a day, or more.” E” stands for the evening. This says a baby may cry more in the late afternoon and evenings (Levin). How is shaken baby syndrome treated? First and most importantly, if a parent feels that his or her child has been shaken or shows signs or symptoms of shaken baby syndrome, seek medical attention immediately. As soon as a parent or caregiver is aware of the fact that the child has been shaken, medical attention is needed. The goal of immediate care of SBS is to halt any further brain damage and to support the child. Early intervention is a necessary treatment or therapy to help long-term recovery. If the shaking is serious enough, the child may need surgery to stop the bleeding on the brain. This may involve placement of a shunt, or a thin tube, in the head, to drain excess blood and fluid to relieve the pressure. There is no medication to treat SBS. Eye surgery may also be needed to remove blood before it permanently affects the vision (Higuera). A child with SBS is admitted to a hospital for observation and treatment. Doctors closely monitor the child. Doctors watch for signs of brain swelling and difficulty breathing, which can lead to a stroke or death of brain cells. If signs of these problems occur, supportive care begins. The child is admitted to an intensive care unit where he or she is treated with oxygen therapy and/or a ventilator. A neurosurgeon may treat the bleeding and swelling on the brain and perform surgery if it is needed. Other treatment depends on the child’s specific injuries. For example, a cast is applied to any bones, and cuts stitched or bandaged. A child who has seizures is evaluated by a neurologist who may prescribe anticonvulsant medicine. Other types of specialists assess, treat, and monitor children who have long-term care issues, such as those related to intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities (WebMD). If the child survives the injuries, a full recovery can take months to years. This type of injury can impair or delay motor skills. The simplest tasks like eating, walking, or speech will need worked with or even re-learned, depending on age of occurrence. Early intervention is a form of rehabilitation. It can help your child develop motor skills as expected. The treatments include working with a team of doctors, nurses, and rehabilitation therapists. The sooner this treatment starts, the better the baby will do over time (Heads Up).