subdural bleeding, cerebral edema/brain swelling,

[Alison J Stevens]

subdural bleeding, cerebral edema/brain swelling,

 

Dear PAIN,

The following is excerpted from an important new scientific article, published in the Journal of Forensic Biomechanics, which challenges the unsubstantiated basis of alleged shaken baby syndrome. Would you please make this article available to your audience. Thank you for the important work that you do.

Sincerely,

John Lloyd

www.DrErgonomics.com

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New biomechanics research demonstrates that shaking is no more likely to cause brain injury than an infant merrily playing — which demands reexamination of the many cases where persons may have been wrongfully convicted on the basis of now disproven science.

 

Abstract 

Abusive shaking of infants has been asserted as a primary cause of subdural bleeding, cerebral edema/brain swelling, and retinal hemorrhages. Manual shaking of biofidelicmannequins, however, has failed to generate the rotational accelerations believed necessary to cause these intracranial symptoms in the human infant. This study examines the apparent contradiction between the accepted model and reportedbiomechanical results.

Researchers collected linear and angular motion data from an infant anthropomorphic test device during shaking and during various activities of daily life, as well as from a 7-month old boy at play in a commercial jumping toy. Results were compared among the experimental conditions and against accepted injury thresholds.

Rotational accelerations during shaking of a biofidelic mannequin were consistent with previous published studies and also statistically undifferentiated from the accelerations endured by a normal 7-month-old at play. The rotational accelerations during non-contact shaking appear to be tolerated by normal infants, even when repetitive.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that angular acceleration of the head during aggressive shaking of the CRABI biofidelic mannequin (1068.3 rad/sec2) is statistically undifferentiated (p≤0.05) from angular head kinematics experienced by a 7-month-old infant fervently playing in his Jumparoo™ (954.4 rad/sec2).  Other pediatric ADLs, such as being burped or bounced on a knee, are clearly negligible. Furthermore, measured angular accelerations fall 84% below the scientifically accepted biomechanical threshold for bridging-vein rupture of 10,000 rad/s2.

Although shaking an infant or toddler in anger is clearly ill advised and potentially unsafe, our data indicate that neither aggressive nor resuscitative shaking is likely to be a primary cause of diffuse axonal injury; primary retinal hemorrhage, schisis or folds; or subdural hematoma in a previously healthy infant.

Future research will investigate a systematic protocol for evaluating biomechanical indices associated with falls from different heights and orientations onto various surfaces.

The article is available open-source from the Journal of Forensic Biomechanics:  http://www.ashdin.com/journals/JFB/F110601.pdf