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Shaken baby syndrome - Treatment

Alternative Names

Shaken impact syndrome; Whiplash - shaken infant

First Aid:

Call 911 or your local emergency number. Immediate emergency treatment is necessary.

If the child stops breathing before emergency help arrives, begin CPR. See: CPR in an infant under 1 year old

Steps to take if the child is vomiting:

If you don't think there is a spinal injury, turn the child's head to one side to prevent choking and breathing in vomit to the lungs (aspiration).
If you do think there is a spinal injury, CAREFULLY roll the child's whole body to one side at the same time (as if rolling a log) while protecting the neck to prevent choking and aspiration.

Do Not:

DO NOT pick up or shake the child to attempt to wake him or her up.
DO NOT attempt to give anything by mouth.

Call immediately for emergency medical assistance if:

Call your health care provider if a child has any of the above signs or symptoms, regardless of their severity. Also call if you think a child has shaken baby syndrome.

Shaken baby symptoms

Reviewed last on: 9/26/2007
Deirdre O’Reilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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