Shaken Baby Syndrome

[Guest guest]

Mike,

Our Center does not provide ANY training on this subject. However,

I have been a Paramedic and EMT Instructor for many years, and just

attended a CEU Seminar and part of it covered just this subject!!!!

I'm not sure just what you wanted to know, but here are some facts

that I think you may find interesting.

Of course, a baby's head is much bigger in proportion to its body.

And all limbs, bones, etc. are much more flexible ( or not so brittle)

When you shake a baby, just imagine the brain flying back and forth

in the skull hitting first the front of the head then the back of the

head. Of course it is bruising in both areas as this happens.

Also know, that where the brain sits in the skull, there are many

very sharp surfaces there on the " floor " of the skull. That also

causes alot of damage.

Anytime a blood vessel, no matter how small, is opened or damaged

so it bleeds, this causes pressure to build up in the brain. There

is no extra room in the skull - only enough for the brain and a small

amount of fluid that helps to cushion and feed the brain tissue.

ANY swelling of ANY kind, like the kind you get from a bruise, such as

will occur from the brain flying back and forth, will possibly cause

damage.

These children may die, some immediately and some over a period of time

or may even have long term physical and mental problems.

Make sense? Maybe a better way to illustrate, take a raw egg from

your refrig. Warm it just a little, not quite to room temperature.

Now, shake it just as hard as you can without breaking it. Give it

a real good rattle. Now, crack it open. You will probably have a

scrambled egg. Well, that's kind of like the brain.

If you would like to talk more, please email me privately.

Hope this helps. I have worked these cases on both sides of the

mic. Neither is any easier than the other.

Good Luck. And be sure to talk to SOMEONE - it will really eat at

you otherwise.

S Rich

Florence KY

Boone Co PSCC

> Subject: Shaken Baby Syndrome

>

> Had to prepare to testify in a murder case involving shaken baby syndrome.

> Case involved a 3 month old male and his 19 year old mother. Very tragic

> case. My responsibility was call taker and provided EMD instructions until

> fire/rescue arrived on scene. The baby made it to the local hospital alive

> and then was medevac to Inova Fairfax were he succumbed to his injuries

> later

> that night. My main question is how many agencies provide any training

> involving shaken baby syndrome? If your agency does provide training, what

> does it encompass? Thanks, Mike.