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Abstract
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Question
Among infant deaths due to sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), what is the contribution of suffocation and the attendant mechanisms?
Design
Database analysis of the population-based SUID Case Registry from 2011 to 2014.
Setting
14 states or specific counties within states across the USA.
Outcomes
Frequencies and percentages of suffocation deaths by mechanism.
Results
14% (250) of SUID cases were due to suffocation, most commonly due to soft bedding (69%), overlay (19%), and wedging (12%, typically between a mattress and a wall).
Conclusions
This study suggests that a sizable percentage of SUIDs are due to suffocation, apparently due to unsafe sleep factors.
Accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed (ASSB), a subset of SUID, is a leading cause of mortality among infants <1 year of age in the US. Identifying factors associated with ASSB is crucial in informing evidence-based recommendations to improve infant sleep safety. Characterizing ASSB deaths has been challenging, however, due to inconsistencies in death classification, coding heterogeneity between different databases, and incomplete documentation. Erck Lambert et al attempt to address these pitfalls in their study by utilizing the SUID Case Registry—a multijurisdictional, population-based surveillance system, which is notable for its rigorous database stewardship and standardized death classification. The ultimate sample size in the study was small (n=250), and the SUID Case Registry does not compile data from all US states. Nevertheless, they were able to identify multiple factors associated with ASSB that are in line with the current literature. The relative consistency of findings between studies, despite differing methodologies, continues to strengthen our understanding of the likely associative factors contributing to ASSB.
© 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc
Language: en |