Chapter 96 Physical Abuse (Case 53)
Patient Care
Clinical Thinking
• The differential is broad when initially evaluating a child with abuse because rarely is that given in the history.
Physical Examination
• Always completely undress the child because some injuries resulting from physical abuse may be missed otherwise (e.g., burns to the bottoms of the feet).
• A complete neurologic assessment, including reflexes, cranial nerves, sensorium, gross motor, and fine motor abilities, should be performed.
• Take note of any tenderness or swelling, especially when palpating the child’s extremities, head, and ribs because there may be new or healing fractures.
• Look closely in the child’s mouth for caries (which may indicate neglect) and at the frenulum (which often is torn in cases of forced feeding).
• A thorough examination of the child’s skin is very important, looking for bruises, lacerations, burns, or bites. (Remember to look at the child’s ears because this is often a site of bruising from the ears being pulled.)
• If the child is stable, the height, weight, and fronto-occipital (FOC) circumference should be carefully measured and plotted on a growth chart.