Fatal extradural hemorrhage following a fall from a baby bouncer.
Prevention of infant deaths from accidental falls from baby equipment requires the maintaining of safety standards and adequate supervision of the infant. Mason in 1989 stated that those under one year old are usually injured because they are left unattended in, for example, bouncing cradles or baby walkers. Severe accidental head injury is relatively uncommon in children under two years of age, and in those patients less than one year of age, accidental injury is 10 to 15 times more common than nonaccidental injury. Gallagher et al. state that falls are the most common cause of accidental injury to the head in children under two years of age (mainly on stairs), whereas falls in older children tend to cause limb injuries. Both falls and burns are well documented with regard to the baby walker, but the author has found no reference to injuries from baby bouncers. This case proves that it is not necessary for a child to fall from a great height to sustain a life-threatening head injury. This infant's head was only about two feet from the ground, and he landed on a thick carpet. Pivoting about the central point provided by the seat of the bouncer obviously increased the momentum of the head before it struck the ground and so the injury was more severe than a straightforward fall back from his own height to the ground. However, it is important to be aware that serious head injuries can result from apparently minor falls. It is hoped that this case will highlight the dangers that do exist when using the baby bouncer, especially if the equipment is worn and adult supervision is absent.
Claydon
S M
SM
Wales Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales.
D000058:Accidental Falls; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015370:Infant Equipment / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male