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Battered child syndrome

Alternative names:

battered child; child abuse; non-accidental trauma (NAT); shaken baby; shaken baby syndrome

Symptoms:

  • appearance at an emergency room with an injured child and an improbable explanation
  • delayed appearance at an emergency room with an injured child
  • bruise marks shaped like hands, fingers, or objects (belt).
  • specific patterns of scalding seen when a conscious child is immersed in hot water
  • burns from an electric stove, radiator, heater or other hot objects on the child's hands or buttocks
  • cigarette burns on exposed areas or the genitals
  • black eyes in an infant
  • human bite marks
  • lash marks
  • choke marks around neck
  • circular marks around wrists or ankles (twisting)
  • sutures - separated
  • bulging soft spot (fontanel) on the infants head
  • unexplained unconsciousness in infant

Signs and tests:


Physical examination may show other injuries, such as:

  • multiple retinal hemorrhages (bleeding in the back of the eye)
  • internal damage such as bleeding or rupture of an organ from blunt trauma
  • any fracture in an infant that is too young to walk or crawl
  • evidence of epiphyseal fractures(often multiple) of long bones or spiral type fractures that result from twisting
  • fractured ribs
  • evidence of skull fracture/s (occasionally multiple fractures of different ages may be present)
  • subdural hematoma (collection of blood in the brain) without plausible explanation

Tests that reveal physical injuries include:


Adam

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