Skeletal Surveys in Infants with Suspected Abuse

The “red flags” of abuse could help determine which infants with isolated skull fractures should undergo skeletal surveys.

When an infant presents in the emergency department with a skull fracture, clinicians are usually concerned about child abuse and must decide whether to perform a skeletal survey. Data from a single-center study might inform those decisions.

Investigators reviewed data from 341 infants (age, <1 year) who had isolated skull fractures unrelated to motor vehicle accidents; 141 underwent skeletal surveys. Infants who had at least one “red flag” of possible abuse (no history of trauma to explain the fracture, changing or conflicting history, previous report to child protection services, delay in presentation for care, or other detected injuries consistent with abuse) were significantly more likely than infants who did not have any red flags to un…

Reviewing Author

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)

Howard Bauchner, MD

Disclosures

Grant / research supportHuman Resources and Services Administration; NIH; NIH-NHLBI; USDA; GlaxoSmithKline

Editorial boardsArchives of Disease in Childhood (Editor-in-Chief)