Background
Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) usually affects infants in their first half year of life and has a poor prognosis, because the surviving children usually suffer from lifelong mental and/or physical disabilities. Since it is an offense that is very difficult to track or prove, in rescue services primarily a seizure, meningitis, or poisoning is often considered the cause.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of SBS is made by identifying subdural hemorrhage, brain damage, and bleeding into the retina (retinal hemorrhages); therefore, they are also often referred to as shaken baby triad.
Presented case
In the presented case, a father called the emergency services. However, the emergency room doctor could only pronounce the death of the child and diagnosed various subdermal bleeding marks on the child’s body. She therefore informed the police. As a result of the autopsy, SBS was diagnosed, based on the observed subdural bleedings, the diagnosis on bridging vein tears, retinal bleeding, bleeding into the optic nerve sheaths on both sides, and hemosiderin deposits. Later in court, the father acknowledged having shaken the child several times, while the mother stated that she knew of the actions that the father had done to the child but also admitted that she had not protected the child. Both parents were sentenced to long prison sentences.