Sentinel Injuries
Definition of a Sentinel Injury
- Sentinel injuries are medically minor.
- They heal on their own without medical treatment.
- But they are suspicious for child physical abuse, and are therefore, forensically significant.
- Sentinel injuries typically occur in young infants who cannot inflict injuries upon themselves other than superficial abrasions.
Accessible Version
The last slide included the most succinct definition of a sentinel injury, and in this slide, we'll expand upon that.
So sentinel injuries are medically minor, and that means that they heal on their own without medical treatment.
However, they are suspicious for child physical abuse and therefore they are forensically significant.
Sentinel injuries typically occur in young infants who cannot inflict injuries upon themselves.
Other than superficial abrasions. And when I say that, I'm thinking about a six-month-old who may use their hands to their hands to bring them to their mouths and because their nails are thin and sharp can scratch their face or they may be able to scratch their chest. And those would be superficial abrasions that we would consider potentially to be accidental.
