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Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2022 Jun 27:99228221106750. Epub 2022 Jun 27.

Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) is the leading cause of death for infants. Physician advice on safe sleep is an important source of information for families. We sought to evaluate the safe sleep knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of physicians by distributing a cross-sectional survey at a freestanding children's hospital. Read More

MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs 2022 Jul-Aug 01;47(4):189-194

Purpose: Despite the 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for preventing sudden unexpected infant death, there are approximately 3,400 sudden unexpected infant deaths annually in the United States. Modeling of safe sleep practices by nurses in the hospital influences parents' practice at home; however, safe sleep practices are not consistently modeled during the childbirth hospitalization.

Methods: A quality improvement project was conducted to implement a safe sleep initiative based on the 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for nurses caring for hospitalized infants after birth. Read More

J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2022 Jun 9;9(6). Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Mackay Children's Hospital, Taipei 104217, Taiwan.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the most common cause of infant death in developed countries, is attributed to diverse trigger factors. Malignant cardiac dysrhythmias are potentially treatable etiologies, and congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is the most common cardiac ionic channelopathy confronted. β-Blockers or class Ib agents are the drugs of choice for the control of arrhythmias, and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) should be considered for secondary prevention in survivors of lethal cardiac death. Read More

Pediatrics 2022 Jun 21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Department of Pediatrics, SUNY-Downstate College of Medicine, NYC Health + Hospitals |Kings County, Brooklyn, New York.

Each year in the United States, ∼3500 infants die of sleep-related infant deaths, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision [ICD-10] R95), ill-defined deaths (ICD-10 R99), and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ICD-10 W75). After a substantial decline in sleep-related deaths in the 1990s, the overall death rate attributable to sleep-related infant deaths has remained stagnant since 2000, and disparities persist. The triple risk model proposes that SIDS occurs when an infant with intrinsic vulnerability (often manifested by impaired arousal, cardiorespiratory, and/or autonomic responses) undergoes an exogenous trigger event (eg, exposure to an unsafe sleeping environment) during a critical developmental period. Read More

Pediatr Qual Saf 2022 May-Jun;7(3):e561. Epub 2022 Jun 14.

Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Ill.

Introduction: To prevent sudden unexpected infant death, pediatric providers recommend the ABCs of infant sleep: Alone, on the Back, and in an empty Crib. This study's objective was to document sleep practices of infants admitted to a large children's hospital, examine adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep guidelines, and develop interventions to improve guideline adherence.

Methods: We conducted a pre/post quality improvement study at a single quaternary care medical center from 2015 to 2019. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 Jun 13;12(1):9773. Epub 2022 Jun 13.

Department of Forensic Medicine and Sciences, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie, 5148507, Japan.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a leading cause of infant death in high-income countries. Supporting models for categorization of sudden unexpected infant death into SIDS/non-SIDS could reduce mortality. Therefore, we aimed to develop such a tool utilizing forensic data, but the reduced number of SIDS cases renders this task inherently difficult. Read More

Arch Dis Child 2022 Jun 8. Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Centre of Methods and Policy Application in the Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Background: Mortality from sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) has declined dramatically since the 'Back to Sleep' campaign. Deaths now are more prevalent in those with socioeconomic disadvantage. The investigation of SUDI frequently identifies parents that have mental health or drug, alcohol and addiction problems. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 13;13:900055. Epub 2022 May 13.

Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.

Objectives: Ten warning signs of primary immunodeficiency (PID) were suggested by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF), to increase physician awareness of PID. These warning signs have not yet been evaluated for patients with secondary immunodeficiency (SID). This study investigated whether the 10 warning signs used for the diagnosis of PID were also sufficient for the diagnosis of SID, and explored the possibility of additional signs. Read More

Front Pediatr 2022 3;10:880713. Epub 2022 May 3.

Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.

Introduction: Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) is the leading cause of death in children 28 days to 1 year of age. The study aim was to identify opportunities for healthcare professionals to provide families with education on sleep and prevention of SUID.

Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of SUID infants over 10 years (12/2010-12/2020). Read More

N Engl J Med 2022 05 14;386(20):1873-1875. Epub 2022 May 14.

From Robert's Program on Sudden Unexpected Death in Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics (R.D.G., H.C.K.), and the Department of Pathology (H.C.K.), Boston Children's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School (R.D.G., H.C.K.) - both in Boston; and East Thetford, VT (A.E.G.).

Cardiol Young 2022 May 2:1-2. Epub 2022 May 2.

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

The use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac death is an approved method. Experience is limited regarding implantation techniques in infants and low-weight children. We herein describe the implantation of an epicardial implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in a 15-month-old infant weighing 8 kg. Read More

Pediatr Nephrol 2022 Apr 30. Epub 2022 Apr 30.

Department of Pediatric Nephrology, School of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Limited data are available on the survival and causes of death in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 receiving kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in Asia.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Japanese nationwide cross-sectional CKD stage 5 survey on pediatric patients (<20 years of age) who started KRT from 2006 to 2013. The cohort was divided into three groups according to age at the start of KRT: <1, 1-5, and 6-19 years. Read More

Pediatr Res 2022 Apr 19. Epub 2022 Apr 19.

Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.

Background: Prenatal smoking and drinking are associated with sudden infant death syndrome and neurodevelopmental disorders. Infants with these outcomes also have altered autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation. We examined the effects of prenatal smoking and drinking on newborn ANS function. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 04 12;12(1):6133. Epub 2022 Apr 12.

Department of Paediatrics, Child and Youth Health, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

We describe the development and validation of a Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI) risk assessment clinical tool. An initial SUDI risk assessment algorithm was developed from an individual participant data meta-analysis of five international SIDS/SUDI case-control studies. The algorithm was translated into a clinical web tool called the Safe Sleep Calculator, which was tested at the routine infant 6-week check-up in primary care clinics in New Zealand. Read More

QJM 2022 Apr 6. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

Centre for Health, Performance and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.

Background: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) still remains one of the leading causes of infant death worldwide, especially in high-income countries. To date, however, there is no detailed information on the global health burden of SIDS.

Aims: To characterize the global disease burden of SIDS and its trends from 1990 to 2019 and to compare the burden of SIDS according to the socio-demographic index (SDI). Read More

Inj Epidemiol 2022 Mar 25;9(1):12. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Department of Pediatrics, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W Harrison St Suite 710, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.

Background: Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) accounts for ~ 3400 deaths per year in the USA, and minimal progress has been made in reducing SUID over the past two decades. SUID is the sudden death of an infant that has occurred as a result of accidental suffocation in a sleeping environment, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), or from an unknown cause of death. Nationally, non-Hispanic Black (NHB) infants have twice the risk of SUID compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) infants. Read More

BMC Bioinformatics 2022 Mar 25;23(1):104. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, USA.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a common, potentially catastrophic intestinal disease among very low birthweight premature infants. Affecting up to 15% of neonates born weighing less than 1500 g, NEC causes sudden-onset, progressive intestinal inflammation and necrosis, which can lead to significant bowel loss, multi-organ injury, or death. No unifying cause of NEC has been identified, nor is there any reliable biomarker that indicates an individual patient's risk of the disease. Read More

Acad Pediatr 2022 Mar 18. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Division of Emergency Medicine (B Kappy, K Edmunds, M Frey, Y Zhang, S Boyd, WJ Pomerantz, and B Kerrey), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio; Department of Pediatrics (K Edmunds, WJ Pomerantz, B Kerrey and S Hanke), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Objectives: Unsafe sleep remains a leading cause of preventable sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Infants frequently visit emergency departments (EDs), but the frequency of visits before SUID is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine how often SUID infants visited a pediatric ED or urgent care (UC) before death. Read More

Eur J Pediatr 2022 Jun 16;181(6):2415-2422. Epub 2022 Mar 16.

Division of Child Neurology and Metabolic Medicine, Department of General Pediatrics, Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.

Medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency is the most common disorder of mitochondrial β-oxidation of fatty acids resulting in hypoketotic hypoglycemia, hepatopathy, and often fatal outcome in undiagnosed children. Introduction of tandem mass spectrometry-based newborn screening programs in the late 1990s has significantly reduced morbidity and mortality in MCAD deficiency; however, neonatal death in individuals with early disease manifestation and severe hypoglycemia may still occur. We describe the fatal disease course in eight newborns with MCAD deficiency, aiming to raise awareness for early clinical symptoms and the life-saving treatment, and promote systematic post-mortem protocols for biochemical and genetic testing, necessary for correct diagnosis and counselling of the family if unexpected death occurred in the neonatal period. Read More

Neurol India 2022 Jan-Feb;70(1):312-314

Department of Pediatrics, Child Neurology Division, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Hyperekplexia, an underdiagnosed motor paroxysm of infancy, mimics epilepsy closely. It is hallmarked by episodic and excessive startle response, brief episodes of intense, generalized hypertonia, or stiffness in response to unexpected auditory and/or tactile stimuli right from birth. Though a seemingly benign entity with an excellent prognosis, hyperekplexia has been occasionally associated with recurrent apneas, feeding difficulties, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2022 Mar 2;15(3). Epub 2022 Mar 2.

Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental EPE, Lisboa, Carnaxide, Portugal.

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a genetically autosomal heterogeneous disorder of the ion channels and causes about 10% of sudden death infant syndrome in newborns. Its estimated prevalence is approximately 1 in 2500, probably underestimated because of its clinical heterogenicity. Few cases of neonatal LQTS have been reported. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2022 03 2;3:CD011997. Epub 2022 Mar 2.

Department of Neonatology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India.

Background: Phototherapy is the mainstay of treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia. Periodic change in position of the neonate under phototherapy (from supine to prone or lateral positions) may improve the efficiency of phototherapy by hastening the access of phototherapy light to bilirubin deposited in different parts of the skin and subcutaneous tissue.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of periodic change of body position during phototherapy as compared to no prescribed change in body position, on serum total bilirubin level and duration of treatment in neonates with unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia during the first 28 days of life. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2022 02 1;5(2):e2146404. Epub 2022 Feb 1.

Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle.

Importance: Understanding why and how extremely preterm infants die is important for practitioners caring for these infants.

Objective: To examine risk factors, causes, timing, and circumstances of death in a modern cohort of extremely preterm infants.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A retrospective cohort review of infants enrolled in the Preterm Erythropoietin Neuroprotection Trial between December 13, 2013, and September 26, 2016, was conducted. Read More

J Pediatr 2022 Jun 2;245:56-64. Epub 2022 Feb 2.

Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

Objective: To examine the effects of infant sofa-sleeping, recent use by caregivers of alcohol, cannabis, and/or other drugs, and bed type and pillows, on the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in New Zealand.

Study Design: A nationwide prospective case-control study was implemented between March 2012 and February 2015. Data were collected during interviews with parents/caregivers. Read More

Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021 17;9:820404. Epub 2022 Jan 17.

Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Breastfeed Med 2022 04 31;17(4):305-310. Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Department of Social Pediatrics, Istanbul University Institute of Child Health, İstanbul, Turkey.

Studies have shown that mothers sleeping with their babies have longer breastfeeding duration. Bedsharing (BS) is thought to be a risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The aim was to investigate the frequency of BS and roomsharing (RS) and the effect of those on breastfeeding during the first 2 years of life. Read More

Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2022 02 28;15(2):e010557. Epub 2022 Jan 28.

Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Cardiology (A.Z., A.M.D., H.C., K.S.M., W.R.G., S.R.C., D.H., A.T.), Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA.

Background: Limited data exist regarding implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) usage in infants and toddlers. This study evaluates ICD placement indications, procedural techniques, programming strategies, and outcomes of ICDs in infants and toddlers.

Methods: This is a single-center retrospective review of all patients ≤3 years old who received an ICD from 2009 to 2021. Read More

Cureus 2021 Dec 19;13(12):e20510. Epub 2021 Dec 19.

College of Medicine, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, SAU.

Introduction: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is characterized as the sudden unexpected death of a healthy infant below the age of 12 months with an unknown cause even after careful death scene assessment. The aim of this study is to estimate the percentage of proper sleep practices among infants and assess the knowledge and awareness of SIDS and its associated risk factors among Saudi and non-Saudi mothers.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Read More

Acta Cardiol Sin 2022 Jan;38(1):73-83

Department of Pediatrics, MacKay Memorial Hospital.

Background: Prolongation of the QT interval is associated with the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. QT interval differs depending on age at the time of screening. Screening protocols have yet to be established for Taiwanese patients. Read More

Genet Med 2022 04 10;24(4):839-850. Epub 2022 Jan 10.

Robert's Program for Sudden Unexpected Death in Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA. Electronic address:

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate genetic contributions to sudden unexpected death in pediatrics (SUDP).

Methods: We phenotyped and performed exome sequencing for 352 SUDP cases. We analyzed variants in 294 "SUDP genes" with mechanisms plausibly related to sudden death. Read More