Frontline: The Child Cases and Shaken Baby Syndrome

  Frontline: The Child Cases and Shaken Baby Syndrome Name Institution Date     Introduction             The sudden and unexpected death of a baby is at times attributed to the Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) and sometimes caretakers stand accused of causing such deaths erroneously. SBS is often diagnosed when children have brain bleeding, retinal hemorrhage and brain inflammation, and additional injuries in the bones, which indicate trauma. The paper will highlight SBS issues surrounding diagnosis, and that there is no agreement in the medical community on the injuries that are specific to SBS, and there is a need to look into whether there are other signs of abuse to rule out SBS. The paper also looks into two cases where fathers were wrongly accused and prosecuted, because of misinterpretation of the research and facts by the health practitioners. What exactly is shaken baby syndrome? Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is a type of trauma or brain injury or damage, which occurs when a baby or small child is shaken violently and especially when below one year. The baby’s neck muscles are weak, while the head is large and heavy.  Jolts result in the fragile brain to move back and forth inside the skull potentially causing permanent brain damage and even death. SBS is associated with brain hemorrhages, damage to the neck and spinal cord, ribs and bone fractures. The signs may at first be not be noticeable, but when there is brain injury and hemorrhages SBS is suspected as one of the most common causes.  The science behind the   Shaken Baby Syndrome is at times discredited as it is a diagnosis made when there is no other explanation of head trauma and long bone fractures. What is the controversy surrounding a diagnosis, and why? (From the video) There is no agreement among experts on what essentially causes sudden infant death and sometimes, there are injuries that are not necessarily caused deliberately by another person. This is further complicated by the fact that the forensic pathologists do not have to be board approved or peer-reviewed to perform an autopsy on a child (PBS, 2011). It is no surprise that there are questionable autopsies’ and  testimonies involving children when there are n specialists or need to  review past medical records in  child death cases (PBS, 2011).  Authorities mostly focused on the autopsy results and doctors who conduct post-mortem identify that injuries are consistent with SBS then most adults are likely to be charged with causing bodily harm like in cases of blunt force trauma. In the video, the reporters raised concerns that the doctors  and pathologists often work closely with the law enforcement agents, that their findings are less objective as there are attempts to close cases even when all the scientific evidence does  not indicate the syndrome.
What indicators should investigators look for in suspecting this type of abuse?             In many investigations, where a child is involved, people tend to be more sensitive and view unexplained deaths as likely the result of violence. Previously many of the problems in children and young adults were attributed to shaking even when there was no medical diagnosis and basis of making such claims. To make the right and most appropriate diagnosis it is necessary to look into the extent of injuries including the impact injury a child cannot simply get impact injury from shaking (PBS). Using imaging technology is also vital as there is better understanding on causes of brain injuries in children, and there are various medical diagnoses. The causes of brain injury and severe retinal hemorrhage should be investigated when diagnosing SBS and whethe...