Infants require a different mode of restraint in motor vehicles than toddlers, older children, or adults. Proper restraint of an infant involves securing the infant into an age-appropriate car seat. The car seat should be secured in the rear seat of the car and facing rearward. Because infants are restrained in a different manner than toddlers, older children, and adults, restraint-related injuries sustained by infants may also be different than those encountered in older patients. Although restraint-related injuries have been well described in toddlers, older children, and adult trauma patients, injuries sustained by infants involved in motor-vehicle collisions related to infant car seats have rarely been described. The authors report a constellation of injuries sustained by an infant trauma patient that is believed related to improper use of the infant's car seat. (A)
Abstract