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Sentinel injuries and indicators of child physical abuse | Synapse

February 21, 2026Open Access

Sentinel injuries and indicators of child physical abuse

Key Points

The aim is to identify sentinel injuries as early warning signs of physical abuse in pre-cruising infants.
Analysis of cases involving infants with unexplained minor injuries
Assessment of the frequency of sentinel injuries among abused infants
Comparison of injury types and frequencies
Over 25% of abused infants had a prior sentinel injury
Nearly half of the sentinel injuries were unexplained

Abstract

Sentinel injuries are minor, unexplained injuries in pre-cruising infants that are often the first indication of physical abuse, which may precede more serious harm.11,22 In one study, more than 25% of abused infants had had a previous sentinel injury, and nearly half of the injuries were

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Authors

H

Hannah McDowell

Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba

S

Suzanne Kathleen Robinson

Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba

M

Megan Cooney

Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba

Journals

Canadian Medical Association Journal

Actions

Institutions

Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba

References and Citations

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Cite this study

McDowell et al. (Mon,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69994aab873532290d01f1e5 — DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.251219