When bleeding in the brain is found in children, a case for non-accidental head injury may end up in court. In these situations, the defence may say the bleeding happened at birth but was previously undetected.
A study in The Lancet (13 March) has called into question the use of this defence for infants older than one month.
Researchers have found that bleeding in the brain of newborns was undetectable after one month of age. The study looked at 111 babies born at Central Sheffield University Hospitals. Nine babies had bleeding in the brain, but the injury had completely healed when they were examined again four weeks after delivery.
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