Subject(s)
Sudden Infant Death/epidemiology , France/epidemiology , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Registries , Risk Factors , Sudden Infant Death/etiologyABSTRACT
Soft infant carriers such as slings have become extremely popular in the west and are usually considered safe. We report 19 cases of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) linked to infant carrier. Most patients were healthy full-term babies less than 3 months of age, and suffocation was the most frequent cause of death. CONCLUSION: Infant carriers represent an underestimated cause of death by suffocation in neonates. WHAT IS KNOWN: ⢠Sudden unexpected deaths in infancy linked to infant carrier have been only sparsely reported. WHAT IS NEW: ⢠We report a series of 19 cases strongly suggesting age of less than 3 months as a risk factor and suffocation as the mechanism of death.
Subject(s)
Asphyxia/etiology , Cause of Death , Infant Equipment/adverse effects , Sudden Infant Death/etiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
In 2011, questions raised in medicine, by the occurrence of the unexpected death of an infant (SUDI), are far from having found definitive answers. Explanations remain fragmented, statistics are fuzzy, research is unsystematic and care protocols are still highly varied in spite of recommendations by the HAS (Haute Autorité de santé, French National Authority for Health) in 2007, which are, in practice, difficult to follow. After 17 years, preventive measures should have given much better results but they continue to come up against strong resistance from the public and certain professionals, a lack of proper resources and numerous contradictory messages from business, advertising and even medicine.
Subject(s)
Cause of Death/trends , Infant Mortality/trends , Sudden Infant Death/prevention & control , France/epidemiology , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Risk Factors , Sudden Infant Death/epidemiologyABSTRACT
The risk of sudden infant death among siblings has long been overestimated: in all epidemiological studies the risk of recurrence remains at 1% or below, thereby excluding a hereditary hazard. Compared with the general population, the risk is increased in only a small percentage of families which can be detected (familial gastrooesophageal reflux or vagal hyperreflexibility, psychosocial problems and, more rarely, hereditary pathology). In the vast majority of families the relative risk is not objectively augmented. In all cases counselling of the parents is necessary for them to accept a new child.
