Summary
Definition
History and exam
Other diagnostic factors
- absence of metabolic disease
- absence of irritability, lethargy
- absence of fever, cough, or nasal congestion
- absence of trauma
Risk factors
- side, prone, or inclined position at last sleep
- bed-sharing/co-sleeping
- soft sleeping surface/environment
- maternal cigarette smoking
- increasing number of smokers in house
- smoking in same room as child
- formula feeding
- non-use of a dummy
- premature birth
- maternal substance use/abuse
- single mother
- lower maternal age
- low level of antenatal care
- low level of maternal education
- low socio-economic status
- black or American Indian
- lack of immunisation
Diagnostic investigations
Investigations to consider
- blood culture
- cerebrospinal fluid culture
- urine culture
- serum chemistry
- urine chemistry
- photographic record
- skeletal survey
- anatomical pathology
- vitreous chemistry
- muscle biopsy
Treatment algorithm
Contributors
Authors
Professor of Pediatrics
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville
VA
Disclosures
RYM receives grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, receives honoraria for speaking at various conferences, and is a board member of the International Society for the Study and Prevention of Perinatal and Infant Death. She has provided expert testimony in a case of an infant who died suddenly and unexpectedly.
Dr Rachel Y. Moon would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr John W. Berkenbosch, a previous contributor to this topic.
Disclosures
JWB declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Professor of Infant Health & Developmental Physiology
FSID Research Unit
Institute of Child Life and Health
St Michaels Hospital
Bristol
UK
Disclosures
PF is an author of a number of references cited in this topic.
Professor and Vice-Chair
Department of Pediatrics
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
New Brunswick
NJ
Disclosures
TH declares that he has no competing interests.
Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer