Citation

Rabl W, Ambach E, Tributsch W. Arch. Kriminol. 1991; 187(5-6): 137-145.

Vernacular Title

Protrahierte Asphyxie nach "Schutteltrauma".

Affiliation

Institut für Gerichtliche Medizin, Universität Innsbruck.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, Verlag Schmidt-Romhild)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

1888261

Abstract

A case of "shaken baby syndrome" (SBS) is reported. A 3 1/2 months old female baby has been found by his mother dead in bed. The circumstances predicted a case of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), but the father, a disc-jockey, who had to look for the baby, had left a notice: "Gitti--I didn't want it, I don't know what had happened, I'm sorry!". The corpse of the baby had no external signs of violence. At the medicolegal examination we found small subarachnoidal and subdural hemorrhage from ruptured bridge veins and signs of prolonged asphyxia. Few hours later the father could be arrested. He told that he had shaken the baby, because she didn't stop crying. The infant lost conscious and he put him down to the bed with his face below. Then he looked at TV for at least a few minutes. After insufficient reanimation he had left the house. The court found the man to be guilty of fatal infant child abuse and convicted him to detention of 8 months. The main signs of SBS are discussed (subarachnoidal and subdural hemorrhage, intraretinal and periretinal hemorrhages, brain edema). Especially in the German speaking Europe many medical examiners are not familiar with this form of infant child abuse.

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