Resources

Educational Resources

Abusive Head Trauma Has a Deep, Prolonged Effect on Children.

Shaken-Baby Impact Syndrome Cost of Care is estimated at $48,000 per child over 4 years.

Guidelines Issued on Management of Abusive Head Trauma in Infants and Children.

More than half of children ages 0 to 4 years severely injured by Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) will die before they turn 21 years old according to new research published online in Pediatrics. The study also found that those children who were severely injured through AHT have a 55% reduction in health-related quality of life.

A related study, also published online in Pediatrics, validates a prediction tool designed to help clinicians identify victims of AHT.

In the first study, Ted R. Miller, PhD, from the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, Maryland, and colleagues asked caretakers or pediatricians to anonymously respond to a survey in 2009 using the online SurveyMonkey tool.

The researchers received responses regarding 170 survivors and found that AHT left 57% of the children blind or partially blind. Another 5% needed eye surgery, and 23% required a feeding tube after the injuries.

Most of the shaking or abuse happens before a child turns 1 year old. One in 14 cases results in death before hospital discharge.