Citation

Quddusi FI, Vasquez A, Gregory S, Davis DMR, Derauf DC. Mayo Clin. Proc. 2021; 96(5): 1369-1371.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.03.003

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Bruising is the most common manifestation of physical abuse,and in pre-mobile infants is frequently associated with serious concurrent injury or future risk for serious or life-threatening injuries. Other etiologies of bruising in pre-mobile infants include underlying medical condit(eg, leukemia) and witnessed accidental events. Rarely, infants can self-inflict bruises through forceful and repetitive sucking, commonly involving their forearms and hands, but reports describing this are limited. Lack of familiarity with the appearance of self-inflicted sucking bruises may result in unnecessary medical and social services intervention, and their associated consequences. We describe a case of self-inflicted sucking bruises in a young infant.

A healthy 3-week-old white female was referred to the emergency department for concerns about physical abuse after her primary care physician noted bruising on her right forearm. Two days prior, three bruises were noted on her right forearm after returning from a walk outdoors. Parents initially thought they were pressure marks from the infant carrier but became concerned when a fourth bruise appeared the next morning. The infant was born at term by uncomplicated vaginal delivery; she received vitamin K at birth and had an uneventful newborn nursery course. She was exclusively breastfed and receiving vitamin D supplementation. Her mother was not taking any medications. Family history was negative for bleeding disorders. Her parents were the sole caregivers...

Language: en