How often do bruised pre-mobile infants subsequently sustain abuse?
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: About half bruised pre-mobile infants have concurrent, often occult abuse. Others had legitimate accidents, birth injuries, bleeding disorders, and/or abuse without additional abuse findings or incomplete evaluations. Washington State’s recent legal and judicial changes cause fewer infants to be determined abused, and those to not be consistently protected. State law requires “Imminent danger” for protection, yet no literature documents subsequent abuse rates. Our goal was to determine how often subsequent abuse occurs. Since 2016, emergency department (ED) triage nurses screened children less than 4-years-old for high-risk bruising. Since 2018, our electric record included a pop-up for positive nurse screens, requiring physicians to confirm bruising and its evaluation. We reviewed positive screens for less than 6-month-olds between 12/30/2018-12/30/2021. Hospital records were reviewed for initial evaluations and subsequent abuse. The County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed subsequent felony referrals. Of 100 positive nurse screens, 40 had physician confirmed bruising. Ten (25.0%) were confirmed accidents, 3 (7.5%) birth related, 3 (7.5%) bleeding disorders, 20 (50.0%) abuse, and 4 (20.0%) unknown. Seventy-nine percent of abused and unknown infants were discharged with protection. Before 2-years-old, two (5.0%) children (1 abused, 1 unknown) had subsequent abuse. Only 0.14% of ED infants less than 6-months-old had bruises. ED evaluations found abuse in half. Lack of Protective Services records precluded knowing how many children remained with or were returned to caretakers or had subsequent referrals. Subsequent abuse was infrequent, but clinically important for future risk. • An emergency department nurse bruise screen was used to identify infants less than 6-months-old with bruising. • Among them, 50% had concurrent evidence of abuse. • Two infants were subsequently re-abused before their second birthday, including one with an unknown initial bruise cause. • This highlights the ongoing risk of abuse for bruised pre-mobile infants.
Source: Child Protection and Practice
Authors: Patrick Hewes, Varun Manohara, Christian Brown, Bridgette Maryman, Kenneth W. Feldman
Institutions: University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,200
Funder: University of Washington
OpenAlex ID: W4414438534