Don't shake – Your child can be very dangerous!

Article by Dr. Nguyen Cong Nghia – Head of Obstetrics department – Share99 Times City International Health Hub.

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Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) or sometimes referred to as Abusive Head Trauma was first described in the 1970s, but received special attention and research around the last 10 years

1. What is shaken child syndrome and how is it hurt?

This syndrome is a severe form of head and brain injury caused by strong shaking of babies or young children. This syndrome usually occurs in children under 2 years of age however it can reach 5 years of age, and is most common in children under 9 months. In the U.S., an estimated 1200 to 1400 children are traumatised or die from shaking each year, according to figures from the National Center for The Control of Shaken Child Syndrome. However, this number can be much higher because many cases are not detected.

Adult carrying and shaking of children in countries may vary and depending on the practice of living. The most dangerous mentioned in this article are the vibrations when holding the child in a standing position and not holding the neck fixed to let the neck move in the direction of the back. However, danger still occurs when holding a child in any position that vibrates vigorously with high intensity or stops or sudden collisions. Studies show that lesions can occur in just 5 seconds of shaking. Strong shaking can cause permanent brain damage. Very severe cases can lead to death.

Babies have a large head size and weigh about a quarter more than the whole body. In the head, there are gaps between the brain and the skull bone that allow the brain to continue to grow and grow. The child's brain is soft with thin meninges. The muscles and ligaments in the neck are weak and neither developed nor able to withstand the weight of the head, this looseness is likened to the head of the whip (he is therefore known at first as whiplash shaken baby). When shaken, the child's soft and flexible skull bones do not withstand these forces, which will transfer force to the brain, when the brain does not have a synchronized movement and causes a back impact on the skull bone, causing brain shock, increased pressure,edema and bleeding in the brain. Large veins along the outer part of the brain are also fragile and easy to tear, causing bleeding, hematoma under the sural,extramancular, under arachnoid, increased intracranial pressure. These injuries can be permanent. However, these lesions are not visible from the outside with the naked eye. Many cases of damage in the mild brain are difficult to detect. In addition, other lesions are very common in the eyes, due to retinal bleeding, which can cause a decrease in vision or blindness. Other injuries may be suffered in the neck or spine, or ribs.

Shaking the child

Figure 1. Leaflets to educate shaken children's syndrome on the website of a children's charity (USA)

Long-term injuries include intellectual retretness, poor vision, speech and hearing behavior disorders, menstruation,damage to orientation skills, and perception, and also death. Many long-term lesions are only detected when the child is older, over 6 years old. These injury treatments require costly, with intensive skills, and long-term effort.

2. Causes and symptoms

The causes are very common and not by accident. Most cases occur when the child cries constantly and does not tempt the parents or caregivers to try to make the child stop crying or these people are in a state of frustration, impatience and control. These efforts are shown by shaking children with high intensity or with stronger or more violent behaviors. This phenomenon is very common deliberately and does not deliberately endanger the child.

Symptoms: It should be noted that a lot of children do not have pronounced external symptoms. More pronounced signs include:

  • Children with strong irritation, normal behavior changes, no contact
  • Phlegm, neglect, or sleepiness, decreased muscle tone (muscles)
  • Blue skin, the most visible forehead area
  • Eating, suckling hard, difficulty swallowing or vomiting for no apparent reason
  • Shortness of breath, apnea or convulsions
  • Signs of neck injury, swelling of the masonry, stiffness of the neck, scarred to one side, difficulty turning.

Children shaken

Figure 2. The image of a shaken child: phlegmatic eyes, blue skin, especially the forehead area. Photo from the website of the National Center for The Control of Shaken Young Syndrome – USA.

3. Diagnosis, first aid and initial treatment

Diagnosis :Often do not see the symptoms of damage from the outside. However, the ophthalmist may detect retinal bleeding of the eye when looking at the bottom of the eye. When in doubt, pediatricians may conduct a ctect of the class or a rem resonance imaging scan to find the lesion.

Initial first aid:

  • Call an ambulance, don't try to transport your child to the hospital on regular vehicles.
  • Don't pick up your child or try to shake it up again
  • Do not feed your child at this time
  • If the child stops breathing before emergency assistance, artificial respiration is required to help
  • If the child has vomiting and there is no suspicion of neck injury, it is possible to turn the child's head gently to one side to avoid choking and stop breathing. If a neck injury is suspected, avoid turning the child around and carefully protect the neck area

Treatment: At the hospital, doctors will have to consider lesions and decide on some treatments such as hemorrsimorced surgery, conduction in the retinal brain, anti-seizure drugs, etc. V…

4. Preventive principles

Never shake your child,even when you're having fun or getting angry. When moving the child, keep the neck in a relatively fixed position. Do not hold the child when arguing.

A child who cries for 2-3 hours can still be normal. You have to find out many reasons why the child cries so much. You should have a list of things to do when the child cries, for example: First of all, check the diapers or diapers to make sure they have been cleaned. You can expand your clothes if your child wears too tight. You check if the child is hungry and feed the child. Check if the child is too hot or too cold. Try using a fake breast head. Embrace your child's gentle swipe, turn off the lights, and turn on the music gently. Take a look at other abnormal signs of how the child breathes, body temperature. Without anything special, you can be assured that sometimes the child cries without a cause, and crying does not pose any danger to the child. When you feel out of your way and very uncomfortable, leave the child alone safely in the kennel, keep calm, be able to go out a little and go back to check every 5-10 minutes or ask someone else for help.

What to do with babies crying at night?

When babies cry for hours, parents need to pay more attention

Thoroughly educate maids or caregivers, never assume that they fully understand and know how to handle when a child cries can not be tempted. Allow them to be informed when they cry, nor do they force them to always do everything to stop the child from crying. Share these with others in your family or take care of your child regularly. Children's grandparents should not because they love them too much, but shake or put pressure on their parents when they cry a lot.

To date, there is still much debate about how dangerous the level and pose is for the child. It must first be said that gentle swaying does not pose this risk. In general, experts say that certain actions such as throwing the child into the air, vibrating on the knee, wearing or carrying when running gymnastics, shaking in a hammock or swinging to the usual extent do not cause this syndrome.

5. Useful research and resources

The prestigious BMJ (British Medical Journal) published the results of research, opinions, debates and analyses by leading experts in the field. Studies are still being conducted in many parts of the world, especially in the U.S. with funding from the American Institutes of Health.

All obstetric hospitals and birthing centers in the United States have provided videotaths, training for parents about this syndrome. Both parents were required to watch the videotaw for almost an hour and sign a pledge that was trained. U.S. law also provides charges of mistreatment and imprisonment of parents who cause this syndrome to children even though they are not intentional.

Vibration syndrome in children

Shaking a child is a bad habit, which can affect a child's health

You can find a lot of other useful information from the official websites of the American Institute of Health or the National Center for Young People with Shaken American Syndrome. This center has the function of exchanging information, training, education, and conducting research on this syndrome throughout the United States. Their website is: http://www.dontshake.org/index.php

You can also watch a very rewarding video clip from the Children Trust Fund in Missouri on their website: www.ctf4kids.org. Or you can also find this video from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6yfvx0ik1M&feature=related

Final message:

No, never shake young children.

Keep your child safe in your family and arms

SEE MORE:

  • Shaking syndrome in children: What to know
  • Consequences of shaking syndrome in children
  • How dangerous is diabetic retinopathy?

About: John Smith

b1ffdb54307529964874ff53a5c5de33?s=90&r=gI am the author of Share99.net. I had been working in Vinmec International General Hospital for over 10 years. I dedicate my passion on every post in this site.

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