NCJ Number
128085
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1991) Pages: 47-50
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Physical trauma is the leading cause of death in children in the U.S. Blunt force trauma constitutes the most common type of childhood injury, with automobile accidents and falls accounting for about 80 percent of these injuries; child abuse is also a common cause of blunt trauma.
Abstract
Injury to the central nervous system is the most common cause of trauma death. Injuries related to the abdomen affect the liver, spleen, and mesentery with resulting hypovolemia. Clinical symptoms of pediatric abdomen trauma are mentioned only briefly in medical literature, and details relevant to the forensic investigator are often omitted. Peritonitis, often associated with child abuse, is a late-appearing problem and can be easily overlooked. A detailed case study and notes on two additional cases provided relevant information to forensic investigators. 7 references (Author abstract modified)