Shaken baby syndrome or non-accidental head injury caused by shaking

Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is a subsection of inflicted head injuries or non-accidental head injury (NAHI), in which shaking, alone or in combination with impact, causes head and brain injury. The subject of this guideline is NAHI caused by shaking.

The shaking in question is always violent, and usually done by grasping the baby’s chest under the armpits. The violent back-and-forth movements of the head cause the brain to bounce around inside the cranial cavity and the tearing of the bridging veins located at the convexity.

It usually occurs in children under 1 year of age and in 2/3 of cases under 6 months of age.