Incidents 

Sudden infant death up to what age. Viral and bacterial infections. Understanding Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the death of a child under 1 year of age, which cannot be explained either by its previous condition or by subsequent autopsy. Most often, the uncaused death of an infant occurs in the morning hours in children at 2-4 months of age.

Possible reasons

If the cause of death cannot be determined after collecting the history of diseases and autopsy of the child, this gives reason to assume infant death. Its reasons are not fully understood. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome was officially recognized in 1971. Before that, diseases of the respiratory system were indicated as the cause of death of such children. One of the possible causes is considered to be a prolonged cessation of breathing during sleep. Another theory explains sudden death by insufficient maturity of some parts of the brain stem. As a result, the mechanism of regulation of the contractile apparatus of muscles and respiration is disturbed in them. Prolonged respiratory arrest also occurs in children suffering from heart rhythm disturbances, which can also cause sudden death.

According to the latest data, the position of the child on the stomach during sleep is also considered a risk factor. In this position, it is more difficult for him to spit up food and breathe. In addition, it overheats faster (overheating can also be a risk factor). It should be noted that infants who are breastfed have a lower rate of sudden infant mortality than those who receive formula feeding.

Who is at risk?

A risk group has been established, which includes children with a predisposition to sudden death. It includes the following categories of children:

  • Survivors of a life-threatening episode during which they stopped breathing and resuscitation procedures were applied to save them.
  • Having brothers or sisters who were victims of this syndrome.
  • Suffering from cardiac arrhythmias.
  • Children who have had respiratory arrests lasting more than 15 seconds.
  • Premature babies with respiratory problems.
  • Toddlers, during the examination of which any serious deviations from the norm were found.
  • Children of young mothers.

In Central Europe, 1-2 babies per year die from infant death syndrome out of 100 children. In Germany, 1000-5000 children die from this syndrome per year.

In winter, cases of sudden infant death are recorded more often than in summer. During the autopsy, children often showed signs of an upper respiratory tract infection, which for a long time was considered the cause of death.

How to protect the baby?

Today, partial prevention of this syndrome is possible. A few days after birth, newborns undergo a thorough examination. If they are suspected of belonging to a risk group, then for some time they are under observation. At home, parents should continue to monitor such a child. For this purpose, special devices were created that record the breathing and (or) cardiac activity of a sleeping child. A sleeping child lies on a mattress with sensors that are connected to a special device. The device registers each breath and (or) contraction of the heart. The device reacts to the stoppage of breathing or violation of cardiac activity with acoustic or optical signals. In this case, the child should be awakened. The doctor informs about the necessary first aid measures. The use of control devices can be recommended by a doctor, they can be purchased or rented. In some cases, drugs are prescribed.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the death of a child between the ages of 1 week and a year. As a rule, it comes unexpectedly. At the same time, there are also no signs of various diseases or developmental abnormalities at the autopsy that could cause the death of the baby. Pathology is still not fully understood, therefore, the main triggers of the terrible syndrome have not been established. Scientists still continue to consider this phenomenon one of the most mysterious and tragic at the same time.

Statistics show that boys suffer from this disease to a greater extent (about 60%), and the maximum number of deaths occurs at 3-6 months of a child's life. And most often children die late at night or early in the morning. The number of tragic cases also depends on the season. It has been proven that in winter and spring, due to common infections, deaths among children are recorded more often.

About pathology

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) officially appeared in the early 60s of the 19th century, although it had been seen almost everywhere before. But it was not until the 1980s that a group of doctors began to campaign against the occurrence of this disease.

The dangerous disorder is often referred to as the exclusion syndrome. Typically, the risk group is: infectious diseases, tumors, various malformations and injuries. Often, the cause of a child's death can still be determined through a thorough examination of the medical history and autopsy results. But even such studies do not always provide detailed answers to all exciting questions. So, sometimes even an absolutely healthy child may simply not wake up in the morning. In such cases, doctors talk about SIDS.

The risk of the syndrome increases dramatically with a combination of three factors: genetic changes, the critical age of the child, and inappropriate environmental conditions for healthy development. For example, a healthy baby with a lack of oxygen during sleep will definitely wake up and turn his head. In the case of pathology, the protective mechanism does not work: children bury their faces in the mattress, the oxygen content in the blood decreases, the child suffocates and dies. Smoking of his parents can also lead to the death of a newborn, since a bad habit also reduces the level of a protective reflex.

Causes of the syndrome

Numerous scientists and pediatricians have not yet been able to come to a unified decision and identify absolutely all the causes of the development of the disease. But experts have proven that most often death occurs due to dysfunction of the heart muscle or due to a disorder of the respiratory system. So, in a dream, any child's cough reflex is weakened and muscle tone decreases. With the syndrome, the body of a sick baby will not be able to cope with it. There will be suffocation, death will come.

There is evidence that SIDS may be the result of congenital disorders of the brain stem.. This conclusion was made by a group of doctors from Boston. They believe that the pathology has nothing to do with the child's sleep, and death occurs due to respiratory arrest.

Texas researchers believe that the dangerous condition arises from the loss of a special gene. It is responsible for the functioning of brain signals and is involved in the regulation of the breathing process during the accumulation of carbon dioxide. In this case, the baby may die due to the relaxation of reflexes. The risks increase significantly if the room has poor ventilation or the child constantly overheats.

Some scientists hypothesize that an unsafely equipped sleeping place for an infant is the culprit for SIDS.. A mattress or pillow that is too soft can lead to the death of a baby when he sleeps on his stomach. They "block" the baby's nose, causing respiratory arrest. That is why many pediatricians advise choosing a hard mattress for a newborn and completely abandoning the pillow.

The time of year also affects the number of deaths. It has been proven that during cold weather, when the number of respiratory diseases especially increases, the death of newborns is recorded more often.

In asocial families, the threat to a child's life increases significantly. The bad habits of parents and the lack of favorable sanitary conditions can undermine the health of the baby.

It has also been established that there is a genetic predisposition to the development of the syndrome. Its first signs are breath holding or short-term cardiac arrest in infancy.

Risk factors

Scientists believe that the main cause of SIDS is a malfunction of the neurohumoral system. Also, almost all newborns experience sleep apnea. But if the disorder recurs several times per hour and lasts about 15 seconds or more, you should immediately contact your pediatrician. Exactly the same as in the case of a dangerous syndrome due to disruption of the cardiac system.

Experts identify other common risk factors, which include:

  • Male sex of the newborn;
  • Age from 1 week to 1 year;
  • The death of a blood relative from SIDS;
  • Small birth weight of the baby;
  • Intrauterine diseases;
  • fetal hypoxia;
  • prematurity;
  • Multiple births;
  • miscarriages and abortions;
  • Injury at birth;
  • Mother's age is less than 16 years;
  • Frequent overheating of the newborn;
  • Poor ventilation of the room where the baby sleeps;
  • Smoking next to the baby;
  • Cold season;
  • Baby sleep on stomach
  • Too soft featherbed;
  • Too tight swaddling.

There is also a version that pathologies are most susceptible to infants who regularly experience psycho-emotional stress. Sometimes doctors are inclined to think that the death could have occurred as a result of the joint sleep of the child and parents.

Symptoms

The death of a child due to a dangerous pathology can last for 30 minutes, but the pathology develops at lightning speed. That is why it is important to know its first signs in order to try to help the child and save his life.

If you suspect the risk of developing sudden death syndrome, parents should definitely pay attention to the general condition of the baby. If for a long time there is a weakening or holding of breath, an unhealthy cough or unnatural movements of facial expressions, it is necessary to call an ambulance. Often the condition is accompanied by general weakness, decreased muscle tone, blue skin.

More attention to the health of the newborn should be shown especially in cases where:

  1. The baby's temperature rises rapidly.
  2. The kid refuses to eat.
  3. The child becomes lethargic and inactive.
  4. The newborn is sick with a respiratory disease.
  5. The baby sleeps in unsuitable conditions for this.
  6. The child falls asleep after prolonged crying or tantrums.

What can be confused with sudden infant death syndrome?

There are cases in history when the parents of a newborn child tried to pass off his violent death as sudden infant death syndrome. In this case, real investigations and forensic examinations were carried out, which helped to establish the real cause of the child's death. So what can pathology be confused with?

Consequences of child abuse

The death of a newborn can occur not only due to any diseases or injuries, but also due to inadequate and cruel treatment of the parents. Moreover, stories about beating their own children over the years are only gaining momentum.

It is not always possible for doctors to immediately establish the true cause of death of a child at the scene of the tragedy. Injuries can be hidden, for example, in the case of shaking the baby. The blood vessels of the brain rupture in a newborn, he loses consciousness, coma or clinical death occurs.

Thoughts about child abuse in the family can also be prompted by a repeated fatal case with SIDS syndrome.

Accident, suffocation

Hormonal surges, lack of sleep and endless care for a child can cause a mental breakdown in a young mother. In this state, women do not control their behavior, they cease to adequately assess reality, which ultimately leads to the most terrible consequences. That is why it is important that the mother really gets enough sleep and can at least sometimes rest during the day.

Sometimes, due to fatigue and your own inattention, there is a risk of inadvertent accidental suffocation during the sleep of parents with a child. It especially increases when the mother is drunk or takes medication for insomnia for a long time.

Thus, back in the 19th century, a strict ban was announced on the joint sleep of children and their parents, and the “accidental” death of a baby meant a deliberate murder. Therefore, young parents should be more careful and equip the child with his own safe sleeping place.

Various kinds of infections

In newborns, many infectious diseases can occur atypically. Therefore, sometimes, even with the most severe damage to the internal organs, the symptoms remain almost invisible. This is especially true in premature babies. Therefore, before staging SIDS, the pathologist must make sure that the death was not due to meningitis, pneumonia, or other similar diseases.

Diagnosis of pathology

To diagnose the disease, doctors usually use special equipment that helps to monitor the condition of the child. These are various cardiorespiratory monitors that detect heart rhythm failure; breathing monitors; respiratory monitors (they can even be installed at home under the bottom of the baby's crib). Also, the newborn needs to undergo an x-ray, an echoencephalogram and an electrocardiogram.

Differential Diagnosis

Differential diagnosis helps specialists exclude acute heart failure, kidney pathology, botulism and forced asphyxia. If the results of the autopsy do not reveal grounds for the sudden death of the child, SIDS is diagnosed.

Treatment of the syndrome

Unfortunately, the therapy of this syndrome still causes difficulties for doctors. Therefore, first of all, experts start from the main cause of the pathology. The main thing in the treatment of the syndrome is to have time to help the baby in time.

What to do if the newborn becomes ill?

If parents notice that their baby is behaving differently - his breathing is disturbed or his pulse is lost, it is necessary to immediately call the doctors. But there is no time to lose, since every minute is precious, so adults should try to restore the functioning of the cardiac and respiratory systems on their own. To do this, you need to give the child a massage:

  • Run your fingers along the spine several times;
  • Lightly shake the baby in your arms;
  • Perform a relaxing massage of the hands, feet and earlobes.

These simple steps can save a child's life. But if they did not bring a positive result, it is necessary to proceed to an indirect massage of the heart and the entire chest. Movements should be smooth and light, as the bones of the newborn are still quite fragile. The main thing when providing assistance is to discard panic and think only about a good outcome.

How to prevent the occurrence of a dangerous disease?

First of all, you should create a really safe and comfortable place for the baby to sleep. Various studies by doctors over the years have proven that a newborn who sleeps on his stomach is in great danger every day. Babies should not be put to bed immediately after a tantrum or crying. More recently, it has become known that sleeping on your side can also provoke SIDS. Sleeping on your back is considered truly healthy. In this case, only underdevelopment of the jaws or a pronounced reflux of bile into the esophagus can be attributed to contraindications. It is difficult for such babies to burp, so while sleeping on their backs, there is a risk of vomit entering the respiratory tract.

Breath monitoring

To reduce the number of deaths from a dangerous syndrome, scientists have created special respiratory monitoring devices that can be used even at home. They not only fully control the child's breathing, but also measure the pulse, as well as the amount of oxygen in the tissues. Such devices are similar to a baby monitor, which plays a certain sound signal in case of heart rhythm disturbances or long-term delays in breathing. Such observation is recommended for families whose children are at risk:

  1. Premature infants with low weight;
  2. Toddlers with recurring sleep apnea;
  3. Newborns with disorders of the respiratory or cardiac system;
  4. Children who have had a loss of consciousness.

Prevention

In most cases, it is not possible to avoid the sudden death of a baby, but it is real to reduce the risk of developing pathology. To do this, you need to be registered with a pediatrician, inform the doctor about all the current diseases of the child. You must also follow these tips:

  • Avoid overheating. The optimal temperature for newborns is 18-20 degrees, so you should not put your baby to sleep in a room where the temperature exceeds this value. At night, it is better to dress the baby in cotton clothes and cover with a thin blanket.
  • Remove all soft objects from the crib, including pillows and toys. Such measures will help protect the baby from possible suffocation. It is worth abandoning the sides, as they only collect dust and impair air circulation. And instead of a blanket, you can use a special sleeping bag for babies.
  • Put the baby to sleep strictly on his back. It has been proven that such a recommendation reduces the risk of the syndrome.

  • Before going to bed, the baby should be allowed to burp air if the feeding was just recently. Usually for this child is held as a "soldier", pressed to him in an upright position.
  • It is worth refusing to share the baby’s sleep with parents, and if such a need does arise, then the child should be provided with enough free space to sleep. At the same time, adults should be absolutely sober and not overly tired.
  • It is not recommended to refuse nipples before going to bed. But it is better to start using them from the second month of life so that breastfeeding is not disturbed.

Young parents should not be afraid of SIDS. It is in their power to do everything so that the child is born and grows up a healthy and happy person. The main thing is to lead a healthy lifestyle and not leave the baby alone.

Vaccinations and SIDS

There is an opinion that vaccinations against many diseases significantly undermine the health of the child and lead to various disorders, including sudden infant death syndrome. Indeed, the time of vaccination very often coincides with the peak frequency of sudden death of a newborn. But numerous studies have proven that in most cases these are just coincidences. Moreover, the absence of some vaccinations, for example, against whooping cough, can only increase the risk of a dangerous pathology.

Help for parents who have lost a child

The death of a loved one is a blow to anyone. And when it comes to the death of your own child, it becomes especially difficult to survive the tragic event. In this case, you need to understand only one thing: SIDS cannot be felt and foreseen, which means that the parents are not to blame for the death of the baby. You need to learn to live again, seek help from a psychologist. Almost all families in the future manage to give birth and raise a healthy baby, and sometimes more than one. The main thing is to believe that the best is yet to come.

conclusions

In conclusion, it should be said that the sudden and unexpected death of a newborn is extremely rare and it is almost impossible to predict the development of the syndrome. It is only necessary to draw the attention of parents to the age until which the disease poses a great danger to the life of their child. It is during this period that adults should be especially attentive to the baby. They also need to walk and play with the baby as often as possible, give up bad habits and monitor the condition of the baby’s sleeping place: remove all soft objects from his crib and replace the heavy blanket with a special light sleeping bag. In this case, the risk of sudden infant death syndrome is drastically reduced, which means that motherhood will really only bring joy.

Video: about sudden infant death syndrome and its prevention


Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an apparently healthy child under the age of 1 year as a result of respiratory arrest for an unexplained reason.

Cases of infant death due to unexplained causes have been repeatedly described in the medical literature, but SIDS was introduced as a postmortem diagnosis only in the late 1960s.

Sudden death in a dream occurs due to various factors (the presence of malformations in a child, infectious diseases and injuries unnoticed by parents), but these factors can be identified by studying the history of the disease and autopsy. When the conducted studies do not allow to explain the cause of the death of the baby, SIDS is indicated in the death certificate (this is a diagnosis of exclusion).

ICD 10 classifies sudden infant death syndrome as a class of conditions characterized as unspecified, arising from an unknown cause (code R95.0 with an indication of an autopsy, and code R95.9 without such an indication).

Analyzing the causes and risks of this phenomenon in children under one year old, pediatricians around the world began to conduct campaigns in the 80s to help reduce the number of deaths in the cradle. Medicine is still not able to answer why sudden infant death occurs in a dream, but thanks to the recommendations of pediatricians, the number of cases of SIDS in the United States has halved, and in Russia it has decreased by 75%.

Statistics

Some researchers believe that the problem is an "achievement" of civilization, since the number of SIDS in developed countries is much higher than in third world countries.

One of the rare phenomena is sudden infant death syndrome, until what age is there a risk of SIDS? Most often, babies are exposed to it in the period of 2-4 months. Already by six months, the risk of SIDS is greatly reduced, and after 9 months. and is rarely diagnosed.


Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - what is it?

Sudden death syndrome in children is the sudden death of apparently healthy babies before the age of one. Death occurs against the background of cardiac arrest and cessation of breathing. Even the pathologist cannot establish the exact cause that caused them.

Sudden death syndrome is a post-mortem diagnosis. It is placed in cases where an autopsy or analyzes of the child's medical record cannot help establish the cause of cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest. SIDS is not recorded if malformations were previously detected or after death from an accident.

The term was officially introduced in the 60s, when infant mortality for unknown reasons became more frequent, although babies died earlier. Sleeping babies may occasionally experience breath holding. At this time, the level of oxygen in the blood drops sharply and an alarm signal enters the child's brain, forcing him to wake up and restore breathing.

This phenomenon very rarely leads to death. However, when a baby has frequent respiratory arrests for 10-15 seconds, especially within one hour, the baby should be urgently shown to the pediatrician.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the causes of which are not precisely established, has a number of hypotheses for the appearance of SIDS. For example, in every fatal case, a deficiency of serotonin was revealed, an underdevelopment of those parts of the brain that are responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular activity. Possible causes of SIDS include:

1. Apnea. Babies sometimes experience short-term breath holding. Normally, the child wakes up and breathing is restored. If this did not happen, and oxygen did not enter the body within 30 seconds, then the baby dies. Breaks between intakes are longer in premature babies.

2. Violation of thermoregulatory function. The temperature in the child's room should be maintained from +18 to +20 degrees. If overheating occurs, then immature brain cells stop performing their functions. Even a brief cardiac or respiratory arrest can cause sudden death.

3. Prolonged QT interval. The indicator reflects the period that passes from the beginning of the contraction of the heart ventricles to their relaxation. The value is normally 0.43-0.45 ms. If this indicator increases, then ventricular arrhythmia may occur.

4. Lack of serotonin. These cells are located in the medulla oblongata. There are vasomotor and respiratory centers, which are responsible for the work of the heart. Nerve endings respond to serotonin. Their deficiency disrupts the functioning of the cardiovascular system, which can cause SIDS.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome due to lack of serotonin

5. Changes in the stem region of the brain. In SIDS, there were also cases of detection of structural changes at the cellular level. They were often caused by hypoxia while still in the womb.

6. Violation of the blood supply. In half of the cases of saving children from the syndrome, pathologies of the arteries responsible for the blood supply to the brain were detected. Its violation can also be associated with clamping of the bloodstream, if the baby's head is in a certain position. The child begins to reflexively turn it only after 4 months. And also the blood supply is disturbed when the baby sleeps on its side and decreases in the “on the stomach” position.

7. genetic predisposition. The risk of SIDS increases in babies who have a defective (mutated) gene responsible for the immune system.

Unexplained death of an infant can also occur due to stress, in which microhemorrhages occur (in particular, in the lungs and heart), defects in the gastrointestinal mucosa and lymphoid formations, and blood thinning. The hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that in the majority of babies a few weeks before death, an increase in some internal organs, a rash, discharge from the nose and eyes, and weight loss were recorded.

Violation of the protective properties of the body, infection

Many children diagnosed with SIDS had infectious diseases in the last day or a week before death. There is a version that microorganisms secrete cytokinins and toxins that reduce the protective properties of the body (including awakening when breathing stops). In addition, bacteria increase inflammation, and the baby's body can not yet cope with such a load.

Posthumously, pathologists found Staphylococcus aureus in children. Then it was found that most of the babies had antibodies to clostridia and enterobacteria. After research, a hypothesis was put forward that it is pathogenic microorganisms that become one of the likely causes of the syndrome.

And also the bacterium Helicobacter Pylori can become the cause of the appearance of the syndrome. It was found more often in babies with SIDS than in children who died from other established causes. Helicobacter pylori causes ammonium synthesis, which causes respiratory arrest. It is assumed that when spitting up, the child inhales a certain amount of microbes from the vomit. Ammonium is quickly absorbed into the blood and provokes respiratory arrest.

Risk Factors for SIDS

There is a whole list of factors why sudden death syndrome occurs in newborns. Respiratory arrest can be caused by:

Use of soft mattresses, blankets, pillows;

Prematurity of the baby;

Multiple pregnancy;

If the previous child was born dead or there were cases of the syndrome in the family of the parents;

Hypoxia and anemia of the fetus;

If the parent is under 17;

Poor social and economic conditions (large number of people living in the apartment, insufficient ventilation of rooms, indoor smoking, etc.);

Depression in the postpartum period;

Frequent pregnancies;

Sleep of the child in the position "on the stomach";

Overheating of the baby;

Small weight of the baby after birth;

Small intervals between bearing children;

The birth of a baby to a single mother;

Lack of medical supervision during pregnancy or its late onset;

Recent illnesses.

It is especially worth noting the risk factors when the mother smoked, took drugs, and drank alcohol during pregnancy.

What could be worse than the death of a child in the cradle? This is what people call Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Another name for it is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The English abbreviation is SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome. SIDS is his sudden death from respiratory arrest (apnea). Most often this happens at night or early in the morning when the baby is alone in the crib.

An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death. Scientists around the world have been struggling with the mystery of infant mortality for many years - the term SIDS was introduced back in 1969. Today we will talk about what they managed to find out.

Facts about sudden infant death

The collection of statistics on SIDS is quite difficult. However, available evidence suggests that SIDS accounts for between 3 and 10 infant deaths per 1,000 children in various countries. In Russia, according to official statistics, 11 children out of 1,000 do not live to be one year old. However, the exact number of deaths due to SIDS is not known.

Sudden death of an infant is said to occur if it occurs for no apparent reason between the ages of one week and one year. Death in the first week of a child's life occurs from perinatal causes.

Most often, children aged 2-4 months die from sudden infant death. Presumably, this may be due to the fact that at this age the child can already turn on his stomach on his own, but cannot roll back or turn his head to the side if he begins to choke. Babies younger than 2 months are not able to roll over on their own, children older than 4 months have a more pronounced instinct for self-preservation.

Boys are more susceptible to sudden death of a child than girls - about 1.5 times. The reasons for this are not exactly known - perhaps such statistics are associated with lower immunity in newborn boys.

Children with reduced immunity are more likely than others to die suddenly. This is just understandable: immunity directly affects the heart activity and breathing of the child. That is why premature babies, children from multiple pregnancies and, of course, children of mothers with bad habits fall into the risk group.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is directly related to the sleeping position: about 70% of deaths occur while sleeping on the stomach. Overheating and hypothermia are also big risk factors for babies, with overheating being much more dangerous.

What's New in Sudden Child Death Research

There are two lines of research that may shed light on the causes of SIDS. The first is the study of insufficient production of serotonin, known as the hormone of happiness. In the body of the dead babies, the level of serotonin was critically low. Meanwhile, this hormone is involved in many physiological processes, including cardio-respiratory activity. The theory speaks of a lack of serotonin as a factor that destabilizes breathing and heart rhythms.

In September 2012, the results of a different study of sudden infant death syndrome were published: the absence of the Atoh1 gene prevents the body from automatically regulating breathing and responding to an increase in carbon dioxide levels in the blood. The experiment was carried out on a population of mice.

What should parents do if the child is not breathing?

Since many parents have heard about death in the cradle, it is not surprising that this topic is actively discussed among young mothers. It is much more important to discuss rumors to know the algorithm of actions to be taken if you find that the child is not breathing. This could save his life! The sudden death of a child is diagnosed by doctors, but often the failure in breathing can be restored.

So, what should parents do while immediately calling an ambulance:

  • Check the child's breathing (mouth and nose), movements of his chest;
  • Quickly assess the color of the skin and mucous membranes - when breathing stops, they turn pale or turn blue;
  • Try to stir up the baby by massaging his hands, heels, earlobes. Very often this is enough to restore breathing;
  • If the measures taken do not help, you need to make sure that there are no foreign objects in the baby’s throat and immediately begin to give him artificial respiration - until the doctors arrive.

Prevention of SIDS

Unfortunately, there is no way to identify a child's tendency to sudden death. Therefore, the most important prevention of respiratory arrest. First of all, this applies to sleeping on the stomach, which many pediatricians oppose. The line is thin - after all, in many other respects, sleeping on the stomach, on the contrary, is useful. You can choose a compromise solution - for example, lay the baby on its side, placing a latch that prevents it from rolling over on its tummy in sleep.

In no case should it be hot in the room where the child sleeps - on the contrary, the room should be ventilated before going to bed. If the air is too dry, it is worth using a humidifier to achieve optimal humidity.

Some researchers of the sudden death of an infant point to a direct connection between the syndrome and the joint sleep of the child and parents. However, there is no clear relationship here - in a number of countries where co-sleeping is considered the norm, the SIDS statistics are just lower, while in other countries it is the other way around. Most likely, the more important factor here will be the caution of the parents. 4.9 out of 5 (27 votes)