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Professional Information: Targeting Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) : A Strategic Plan
SIDS occurs worldwide. In the United States alone, approximately 3,000 infants die each year from
SIDS. The majority of SIDS deaths occur before infants reach 6 months of age. These deaths, although associated with a sleep
period, are sudden and unpredictable. In most cases, infants appear healthy before succumbing to SIDS. No explanation for
these deaths can be found, even when a complete postmortem is performed, including an autopsy, an examination of the death
scene, and a review of the infant’s clinical and family history. In the absence of an identifiable cause of death, these infants’
deaths are, by standard definition, labeled SIDS. more
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Information For New Mothers And Fathers: Babies Sleep Safest On Their Backs: Reduce The Risk Of
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Doctors and nurses don't know what causes SIDS, but they do know: SIDS is the leading cause of
death in babies after one month of age; most SIDS deaths occur in babies who are between 2 and 4 months old; more SIDS
deaths occur in colder months; babies placed to sleep on their stomachs are much more likely to die of SIDS than babies placed
on their backs to sleep. more
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Fact Sheet: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Mounting evidence suggests that some SIDS babies are born with brain abnormalities that make them
vulnerable to sudden death during infancy. Studies of SIDS victims reveal that many SIDS infants have abnormalities in the
"arcuate nucleus," a portion of the brain that is likely to be involved in controlling breathing and waking during sleep. Babies born
with defects in other portions of the brain or body may also be more prone to a sudden death. These abnormalities may stem
from prenatal exposure to a toxic substance, or lack of a vital compound in the prenatal environment, such as sufficient oxygen.
Cigarette smoking during pregnancy, for example, can reduce the amount of oxygen the fetus receives. Get the facts, in today's
issue of Vidyya. more
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SIDS: Questions And Answers For Professionals
In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a statement recommending that all
healthy infants be placed down for sleep on their backs (Pediatrics, 1992;89: 1120-1126). This recommendation was based on
numerous reports that babies who sleep prone have a significantly increased likelihood of dying of sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS). The recommendation was reaffirmed in 1994 (Pediatrics, 1994;93:820). Health care professionals are encouraged to
read both publications for a review of the evidence that led to the recommendation. This Q & A, appearing courtesy of the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, is based on the AAP recommendations. more
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Sample Drill: Emergency Procedures For An Unresponsive Infant
Knowing what actions to take when an infant is unresponsive is obviously a matter of life and death.
This sample drill can help infant-care providers be ready should the umimaginable occur. This handout was created by the Infant
Mortality Risk Reduction Work Team of the National SIDS & Infant Death Program Support Center (NSIDPSC). You may
copy or adapt it as long as you credit the source. The NSIDPSC is a cooperative project of the SIDS Alliance, Inc. and the
Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome/Infant Death Program. more
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