This is a single institution, retrospective study of patients suffering AHT from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2019. This study identifies injuries and predictors of outcomes in pediatric AHT and highlights the importance of partnering with our community, in a region where rates of AHT are increasing exponentially, to raise awareness and educate parents and caregivers about prevention.
Thus, prevention through increased public awareness is imperative. Neurosurgical intervention can ameliorate damage from secondary injury, but we are currently unable to alter the impact of the primary injury. Despite guidelines and management protocols, uncertainty and controversy remain regarding ideal management of these patients. As estimates of incidence are based on identified cases, pediatric AHT is hypothesized to be more common than reported. Pediatric NAT poses unique challenges in that suspicion is critical for recognition of injuries during initial evaluation, as many of these injuries are missed. Furthermore, there are high rates of morbidity with one study reporting only 7% of AHT survivors return to previous neurologic function. AHT represents 80% of pediatric nonaccidental trauma (NAT) deaths, and AHT is the leading cause of death among infants and young children with a mortality of 8β25%. Pediatric abusive head trauma (AHT) is defined by the Centers for Disease Control as βan injury to the skull or intracranial contents of an infant or child younger than 5 years caused by inflicted blunt impact, violent shaking, or both.β The estimated incidence of pediatric AHT is 20β40/100,000 infants younger than 1 year of age, and this incidence is relatively consistent worldwide.