Abusive head injury as a cause of apparent life-threatening events in infancy.

Background: An apparent life-threatening event (ALTE) refers to the sudden occurrence of a breathing abnormality, color change, or alteration in muscle tone or mental status in an infant. Several patients with ALTEs admitted to our institution were found to have sustained abusive head injuries.

Objective: To systematically examine the possible causes of ALTEs and their relative frequencies.