Most physicians accept Shaken Baby Syndrome & Abusive Head Trauma as valid diagnoses

Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma are very serious matters which are accepted as valid diagnoses by most physicians reports Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. There is a high degree of consensus among physicians that it is possible to produce subdural hematoma, serious retinal hemorrhage, coma or death if a young child is shaken. In this study more than 80 percent of physicians said that shaking a young child with or without impact was likely to cause subdural hematoma, while 90 percent said it was likely to cause severe retinal hemorrhage and 78 percent said this was likely to result in coma or death. Sandeep Narang, MD, JD, the lead author on the study, said the data show that it is generally accepted by physicians that shaking a young child is a very serious form of abuse. This study has been published in the Journal of Pediatrics. The empirical data from this study have confirmed that in child abuse cases Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma are considered likely causes of subdural hematoma, severe retinal hemorrhages and coma or death in child abuse cases. The only alternative theory of causation for these findings which has been generally accepted is high-velocity motor vehicle collisions.