A case report of an unexpected traumatic brain injury following severe child abuse

Child abuse has been defined as allowing others to cause physical, emotional, and sexual harm, and also physical and emotional pain to a child. The present study was a report on a case of physical and sexual child abuse accompanied by traumatic brain injury (TBI) referred to an emergency department.

A 4-year-old child was rushed into an emergency department by her mother. At the time of hospital admission, the child was feeling confused and drowsy and had symptoms of hemorrhage in the right preperitoneal space as well as bleeding from the mouth. According to the pattern of the child’s admission to the emergency department, contradictory descriptions by parents, clinical examinations, and TBI pattern; the probability of a case of child abuse was raised. Thus; neurosurgery, legal medicine, gynecology, and surgery consultations were requested. With regard to the brain injury and epidural hematoma, immediate measures (i.e. head lifting, taking Dilantin, blood glucose control, blood pressure control, and maintaining adequate oxygen saturation in the arterial blood) were taken to put a stop to secondary brain injury, and the patient was then transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) for further treatments.

In the present case study, the child was seriously examined and followed up. In conclusion; 20 days later, the case was discharged from the pediatric ward with good medical conditions, and received counseling and psychiatric services for one year.