Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma Pocket Atlas, Volume 2

Having been involved in child protection investigations and prosecutions for over 15 years, I can say that every serious unexplained injury of a child presents challenges to medical professionals, law enforcement, CPS, and courts. It is important that professionals in each of these domains have access to the most reliable information with which to meet these challenges. Most lawyers and judges, and certainly most jurors, do not come into the courtroom with a particularly strong background in medical science. To an untrained person, the line between good science and junk science can be difficult to discern. To be effective, attorneys must be familiar enough with the science underlying medical evidence to be able to elicit the medical testimony in a way that is understandable and helpful to the listener. Child protection investigations and litigation typically proceed at the accelerated pace necessitated by the critical need to protect children who are at risk of harm, and it is of the utmost importance for all involved to get it right. Betting it wrong means either leaving children in danger or, perhaps needlessly, disrupting custody and relationship between parent and child. This book provides a valuable resource for Child Protective Services investigation staff and attorneys. Concise and authoritative, this book will assist the nonmedical professional in formulating the questions and avenues of inquiry that will help to get at the truth of situations which can involve complex fact patterns, conflicting witness statements, ostensibly unwitnessed events, and defense claims which mirror defense theories easily available on the Internet. Zev Kianovsky Assistant Corporation Counsel Dodge County, Wisconsin Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma is an excellent resource that provides both superb visual depictions and discussions of traumatic head injuries. Case illustrations, detailed annotations, and a current reference lists make each chapter a treasure trove for clinicians, particularly for those who educate students, residents, and fellows. Multiple medical conditions that could be confused with abusive head trauma, such as birth trauma, disorders of coagulation, and genetic disorders, are included, which makes this 2-volume atlas an invaluable reference to use in exploring alternative hypotheses in both clinical care and courtroom settings. Lynn K. Sheets, MD, FAAP Medical Director & Professor Child Advocacy Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin