"I'm exploring all sorts of theories. My colleague Marta Cohen from
Sheffield Children's Hospital and I have just published a paper with
observations of our autopsy work on fetuses and babies over the last
couple of years. We selected 55 cases - 25 late third trimester fetuses
who died shortly before delivery and 30 newborns - who had haemorrhage
within the membrane that covers and separates the two halves of the brain,
and compared this with the level of brain hypoxia, or oxygen deficiency.
We knew that none of these cases could possibly be inflicted trauma. We
found that all those with severe brain hypoxia and half of those with
moderate brain hypoxia had SDH. This is the same type of SDH that some
people describe as specifically indicative of shaken baby syndrome. A
similar pattern of haemorrhages has been described in the retinas of
newborn babies dying of natural causes. We think that in these cases the
haemorrhaging is caused by the hypoxia." [1]
Asking for Risdon et al to apologise and accept they were wrong is
probably asking too much, I hope that when they read the latest research
they will, however, take note of it when deciding on causes of death. Ms
Geddes wasn't so far off the mark was she?
No doubt somebody is now going to claim that pregnant women were
undertaking activities that bounced the unborn child around in order to
harm them pre-birth, I'm not kidding either!
It's a shame that neither the BMJ Group or The Lancet chose to
publish these very important findings.
At the moment babies suspected of having been shaken are administered
powerful and potentially devastating anticonvulsants in large quantities
upon admission to hospital, the doctors treating what they believe to be
SBS - problem is, if it was a hypoxic event caused by any one of a number
of conditions known to cause such an event, then the treatment itself
could kill!
Competing interests:
I am and have been involved as part of a team researching medical records in alleged cases of SBS in both family and criminal cases
Rapid Response:
New Scientist and new science
The pathologist challenging shaken baby syndrome
Irene Scheimberg states the below:
"I'm exploring all sorts of theories. My colleague Marta Cohen from
Sheffield Children's Hospital and I have just published a paper with
observations of our autopsy work on fetuses and babies over the last
couple of years. We selected 55 cases - 25 late third trimester fetuses
who died shortly before delivery and 30 newborns - who had haemorrhage
within the membrane that covers and separates the two halves of the brain,
and compared this with the level of brain hypoxia, or oxygen deficiency.
We knew that none of these cases could possibly be inflicted trauma. We
found that all those with severe brain hypoxia and half of those with
moderate brain hypoxia had SDH. This is the same type of SDH that some
people describe as specifically indicative of shaken baby syndrome. A
similar pattern of haemorrhages has been described in the retinas of
newborn babies dying of natural causes. We think that in these cases the
haemorrhaging is caused by the hypoxia." [1]
Asking for Risdon et al to apologise and accept they were wrong is
probably asking too much, I hope that when they read the latest research
they will, however, take note of it when deciding on causes of death. Ms
Geddes wasn't so far off the mark was she?
No doubt somebody is now going to claim that pregnant women were
undertaking activities that bounced the unborn child around in order to
harm them pre-birth, I'm not kidding either!
It's a shame that neither the BMJ Group or The Lancet chose to
publish these very important findings.
At the moment babies suspected of having been shaken are administered
powerful and potentially devastating anticonvulsants in large quantities
upon admission to hospital, the doctors treating what they believe to be
SBS - problem is, if it was a hypoxic event caused by any one of a number
of conditions known to cause such an event, then the treatment itself
could kill!
[1] http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126931.800-the-
pathologist-challenging-shaken-baby-syndrome.html?full=true
Competing interests:
I am and have been involved as part of a team researching medical records in alleged cases of SBS in both family and criminal cases
Competing interests: No competing interests