PROGRAM NAME: HEALTH NUGGETS
PROGRAM TITLE: SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME
PROGRAM NUMBER: 76
SUBJECT: SYMPTOMS, RISK FACTORS, PATHOLOGY, PREVENTION OF
SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME
KEY WORDS: FRUSTRATION, SEIZURES, PARALYSIS, COMA, MENTAL
DEFECTS, CT SCAN, COUNSELOR
DATE OF SCRIPT: SEPTEMBER 7, 2012
AUTHOR: RICHARD YUKL, MD, FACS
SPEAKER 1: Shaken baby syndrome is a serious brain injury resulting from the forceful shaking an infant or young child. The injury usually occurs in a child younger than two years old, but it may be seen in children up to the age of five. It is a form of child abuse that can result in permanent brain damage or even death.
SPEAKER 2: Babies have weak neck muscles. If a baby is forcefully shaken, their fragile brains move violently back and forth inside their skulls. Large veins along the outside of the brain can tear, causing bruising, swelling and bleeding, and the damage prevents the infant’s brain from getting enough oxygen

for its needs, resulting in irreversible brain damage. As little as five seconds of shaking can cause damage . Seemingly trivial impacts can be enough to injure newborns and small infants permanently . Injuries are most likely to occur when the baby is shaken and their head hits something, even a soft object such as a mattress or a pillow. The problem usually occurs when a parent or caregiver severely shakes a baby due to frustration or anger, often because the child won't stop crying.
SPEAKER 1: What are the symptoms of shaken baby syndrome?
SPEAKER 2: Symptoms include extreme irritability, seizures, paralysis, difficulty staying awake or even coma. There may be bleeding in the whites of the eyes. Close physical examination may show evidence of prior child abuse. In mild cases, there may be no early symptoms.
SPEAKER 1: Some babies die because of shaken baby syndrome?
SPEAKER 2: About half the affected children die, and survivors may require lifelong medical care for conditions such as blindness, hearing loss, learning problems, mental retardation and seizures.
SPEAKER 1: Who would shake their baby?
SPEAKER 2: There are risk factors that increase the likelihood of a baby being shaken. Those risk factors include having unrealistic expectations of

babies, alcohol or drug abuse by a parent, being a young or single parent, depression or a parent having a history of being mistreated as a child. Men are more likely to shake babies than are women.
SPEAKER 1: What is it important for me to know about shaken baby syndrome if I am not directly involved in the care of an infant or a small child?
SPEAKER 2: Getting immediate medical care may save the child's life or prevent serious health problems. If you see violent shaking of an infant, call 911 or your local emergency number. If you have reason to suspect shaking has damaged a small child, call the child's doctor or take them to the nearest emergency room. Immediate emergency treatment is necessary. Depending on the extent of the injuries, the baby may need to be monitored in a pediatric intensive care unit. If diagnostic studies such as a CT scan of the head identify bleeding in the brain, emergency surgery may be required.
SPEAKER 1: Can I do anything myself to help a baby with symptoms of shaken baby syndrome?
SPEAKER 2: A brain-injured child may begin to vomit before you can get them to professional help. If the child begins to vomit, carefully roll their whole body to one side as a single unit while protecting their neck from moving. This will prevent choking and breathing the vomit into their lungs. If the damaged child falls asleep, do not pick them up or shake them in an attempt to awaken them.
They may have lost consciousness because of the brain injury they have

suffered.
SPEAKER 1: What can a caregiver do to prevent shaken baby syndrome?
SPEAKER 2: Shaken baby syndrome is entirely preventable. Being a parent or a child caregiver requires you to be mature. You must not allow your anxiety and frustrations determine how you treat the child. When your crying baby can't be calmed, you may be tempted to try anything to get the tears to stop, but it's important to always treat the child gently, remembering that it only a few seconds of shaking may cause an infant brain damage that is irreversible. If you are having trouble managing your emotions or the stress of parenthood, please seek help. Your child's doctor may be able to refer you to a counselor or other mental health provider. Additionally, follow some simple rules when caring for your baby during stressful times – most importantly, never shake your baby in play or in anger. Even gentle shaking can become violent shaking when you are angry. Next, do not hold your baby during an argument. If you find yourself becoming annoyed or angry with your baby, put them in the crib and leave the room. Calm yourself down, and if you can’t, call someone for help and support.
Don’t be too afraid or too proud to call a friend or relative to come and stay with the child if you feel out of control. Finally, if you suspect someone is abusing an infant in your home or in the home of someone you know, contact a local crisis hotline or child abuse hotline for help and guidance.
SPEAKER 1: Why are infant brain injuries so dangerous and permanent?

SPEAKER 2: God created babies with brains that are incredibly complex and delicate. A newborn's brain is about twenty five percent of its adult weight.
By age three, it has grown dramatically, producing billions of cells and hundreds of trillions of connections between those cells while learning such basic functions as talking, standing and walking. Scientific studies have shown that brain injury at this cr itical time in a baby’s life will trigger baby’s own body to destroy these developing cells and connections, causing mental defects that can never be recovered.
SPEAKER 1: Health Nuggets is written by Dr. Richard Yukl, a medical doctor working in the United States. The medical views expressed in this program are his and may differ for your particular health needs. If you need medical advice, please consult a medical professional in your area.