When a family member hears that the child they love has been diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome or Abusive Head Trauma, one of the first thoughts that might run through their mind is “What is Shaken Baby Syndrome?”  or “What is Abusive Head Trauma?”  This experience causes a range of emotions, all of which are normal.  Seeing a child that one loves connected to life support is gut wrenching.  It is hard to comprehend what could have happened to leave an innocent child fighting for their lives.

Shaken Baby Syndrome is a form of Abusive Head Trauma that occurs when a frustrated caregiver violently shakes, slams, hits, or punches a child’s head, usually to stop them from crying or to get a child to respond to the expectations of the caregiver.  There are often no outward signs of trauma, but there is injury to the brain and sometimes to the eyes.  The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect (AAP) released a technical report on Shaken Baby Syndrome in July 2001 stating that:“Shaken Baby Syndrome is a serious and clearly definable form of child abuse.  It results from extreme rotational cranial acceleration induced by violent shaking or shaking/ impact, which would be easily recognizable by others as dangerous.”Dr. Christine Duhaime and colleagues published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine (1987) in which they stated:Shaken Baby Syndrome is a unique collection of symptoms and physical findings.   When a toddler or infant suffers severe brain swelling, retinal hemorrhages or other damage to the eyes, in combination with bleeding under the dura or arachnoid membranes which cover the brain, there are really only two mechanisms that may explain this.  Either the infant was manually and violently shaken by another human being physically capable of such an action, or the infant was involved in a massive, often rollover, automobile accident or some other equivalent accident.  Expert physicians from many specialties are reaching consensus that no other mechanism explains this unique combination of injuries.  Investigators should not be confused by irresponsible medical experts who often testify in cases that one of the injuries could have been caused by something other than shaking.  When the injuries are considered as a collection, there is no other disease process or other cause which presents in exactly the same way.  Duhaime, Christian, et al., NEJM.