Sudden Infant Death Research Paper

Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) is the sudden unforeseen death of an infant without a clear cause, which remains unexplained until the cause of death is thoroughly investigated (AAP Task Force on SIDS, 2016). Investigations for the cause of sudden infant deaths can be done by fully reviewing the infant’s clinical history, by a complete autopsy or an examination of the death scene (Athanasakis, Karavasiliadou & Styliadis, 2011). SUID is a leading cause of infant mortality in the United States accounting for more than 4000 infant deaths each year (Schnitzer, Covington & Dykstra, 2012). It often happens when a child is sleeping or in the baby’s sleeping area (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2018). The three most commonly reported causes of SUID are Sudden Infant Death Syndrome …show more content…
Over half of all sudden infant death cases are due to SIDS (Schnitzer, Covington & Dykstra, 2012). It is reported to be the leading cause of post neonatal mortality and the fourth leading cause of infant mortality in the United States (Goldstein et al., 2015).

Unsafe infant sleep practices, positioning and placement are associated with increased risk of sleep-related sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) (Florida Department of Health Title V Needs Assessment, 2015). Research shows that there are various factors that increase the risk of sudden infant deaths, and they can be grouped into “modifiable and non-modifiable” risk factors (AAP Task Force on SIDS, 2016). The modifiable risk factors are associated with infant sleep positioning and other sleep practices including - sleeping prone, co-sleeping with adults or other