Shaken baby syndrome or shaken baby impact syndrome
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Authors
Ryan, Timothy C.
Issue Date
2010
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Forensic sciences
Alternative Title
Abstract
The intention of this project was determine if Shaken Baby Syndrome is a conclusive cause of death or rather a contributing factor. In addition, based on intracranial injuries, subdural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrhage and finger bruises to the baby’s arms, it is more accurate to be called Shaken Baby (impact) Syndrome. It was also my intent to show the identification of retinal hemorrhages on the baby will increase the ability to identify Shaken Baby Syndrome.
During the research it was discovered that there were hundreds of articles over the past 30-plus years that fitted the basic selection criteria, only those that included sufficient individual case data with respect to age, sex, and basic historical information, including clinical and pathologic findings, were selected for analysis. Leestma discovered that many of the articles relating to the “shaken baby syndrome” described cases in lumped table formats or statistical formats. This format did not permit individual case assessment or critical examination of the data and were not incorporated into the analysis. The key element used for this analysis was whether anyone was on record as having admitted to shaking the baby in any fashion, since this is the presumed independent variable of possible causality. Another discovery was most articles listed their criteria for the label of “shaken baby” syndrome as having been based upon inference or presumptive evidence such as judgment of an individual or panel of child abuse experts, but did not report what the perpetrator actually did or confessed to.