SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is an unfortunate event that has been occurring as long as time. The SIDS has plagued parents and doctors and despite much research they still have not been able to discover a cause behind it. Some researchers believe that there are risk factors leading to SIDS that can be prevented, yet they are not found in all cases. Another researcher believed to link inner ear problems to SIDS deaths (Dr. Rubens). Unfortunately a child who died of SIDS is only labeled as so after a thorough investigation of the scene, an autopsy is done and all other possible causes, both physical and medical, have been ruled out, therefore the infant’s death is of an unknown cause (Kidshealth.org). Even
though the cause is still unknown, the research is still ongoing because no infant should die because of something that can possibly be prevented.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Evidence Based Research
SIDS is the unexplainable death of an infant after a thorough investigation has been done to rule out all other possible causes (Potts & Mandleco, 2012, p. 253). Research suggests that there are many trending factors in infant’s that die of SIDS: infants born premature, those with low birth weights, male gender over female, multiple births, infants under 6 mo. of age, those exposed to cigarette smoke especially the mother smoking, African-American and Native-American infants over Caucasian infants, infants that share a bed with their parents before 4 months of age, sleeping on their stomachs, going to bed with a bottle, overdressing, being overheated, soft sleep surfaces or excessive bedding, and not enough circulating air in the infants room (Potts & Mandleco, 2012, p. 254). These are all found to be risk factors and when combined in any manner increase an infant’s risk of SIDS. The American Academy of Pediatrics has set an initiative called the Back to Sleep program to reduce the risk of SIDS; since it was set in place in 1994 research shows a progressive decline in the occurrence of SIDS and attributes that to infants being placed to sleep on their backs (Potts & Mandleco, 2012, p. 253). There is no known cause of SIDS yet research suggests certain mechanisms to blame for SIDS. One mechanism is delayed arousal response and sleep apnea, when the infant doesn’t receive enough O2 its brain doesn’t send signals to wake the infant. Another is underdeveloped or malnourished brain regions that control involuntary responses. Also research suggests infants rebreathe air due to poor circulating air and receive inadequate O2 (Potts & Mandleco, 2012, p. 253).
Diagnosis of SIDS only comes after a thorough investigation of the scene is complete, an autopsy is done and all other possible causes, both physical and medical, have been ruled out.
There is no treatment for SIDS only precautions to be set in place to prevent it. The major precaution found to be effective is sleeping the infant on his or her back; this increases the possible airflow available in the infant’s zone and decreases the risk for a carbon dioxide pocket to be formed. Also placing the infant in a crib or cradle, especially for the first 4 months of life while the infant’s brain develops arousal responses, can reduce the risk of SIDS (Potts & Mandleco, 2012, p. 254). The evidence suggests that reducing the risk factors can reduce the incidence, yet there is still an occurrence regardless of risk factors being present or not. Since the cause is still truly unknown, the full prevention is not yet possible; parents can only do their best to reduce the
risks.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Internet Based Research
While the American Academy of Pediatrics and Kidshealth.org suggest similar research on SIDS as Potts and Mandelco there are few differences.
Some research shows that the occurrence of SIDS increases during cold periods and decreases during warm periods. It also suggests strong ties between intrauterine growth circumstances and prematurity to underdeveloped brains that have a lack of developmental response to inadequate oxygenation while sleeping with an increased risk of SIDS (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011). Other research suggest that maternal age under 20 years old as an increased risk factor. Also not just stomach sleeping but side sleeping is an increased risk due to the chance of the infant rolling onto their stomach while asleep and the inability to roll back over. (Kidshealth.org). Most of the research with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Kidshealth.org go hand in hand with the evidence based research of Potts and
Mandelco. Although most of the research points to sleeping patterns and developmental delays there is one Doctor at Seattle Children’s Hospital that has a new view on SIDS. Dr. Daniel Rubens is an anesthesiologists and SIDS researcher at the Seattle Children’s Hospital and has been researching a link between inner ear problems and SIDS. Dr. Ruben researched a Rhode Island Hospital’s newborn hearing screening tests, and followed the infants to find 31 of them had passed of SIDS. His research shows that of the 31 SIDS related deaths all of them had hearing deficiencies in their right ear. This suggests that some trauma occurred at birth that damages the hairs in the inner ear that are responsible for detecting high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood ('Listening To A Hunch'). These infants while sleeping received inadequate oxygen supply and did not have the response mechanisms to wake up that could have saved their lives. This research could be a breakthrough in SIDS. Based on this research diagnosis at birth would be standard and the treatment would be fixing the inner ear problem along with extra infant monitoring the first year after birth.
Conclusion
Overall the research points to preventative measures to prevent SIDS as being most effective. The main measure that is believed to reduce the risk is placing the infant on their backs to sleep. Also to inform new parents to dress the baby not the bed, this reminds parents to keep extra bedding and items out of the area to allow the baby a safer sleep. Research is still being done as to the definitive cause of SIDS, so as of now preventative measures are the best effort to reduce the risk. Hopefully with further research Dr. Rubens can further explore SIDS and inner ear abnormalities making it standard of practice to identify these issues at birth. With this possible ground breaking research there is hope for a future without SIDS.