NCJ Number
219910
Journal
Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal Volume: 40 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2007 Pages: 39-52
Date Published
June 2007
Length
14 pages
Annotation
With data extracted from a larger Canadian study of children autopsied in the Hamilton Forensic Pathology Unit from 1995 to 2005, this study examined more than 70 deaths diagnosed as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) cases.
Abstract
Results highlights include: (2) infants between the ages of 1 and 3 months were found to be at the greatest and most significant risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); (2) feeding time and feed type were both found to be very significant risk factors associated with SIDS; (3) the most significant risk factor associated with SIDS was caretaker smoking; (4) the ocular findings in SIDS children indicate that at least 63 to 65 percent of the time, the examination of the eyes revealed extramedullary hematopoiesis and/or cytoid bodies; and (5) the multiple risk hypothesis suggests that SIDS was a result of general vulnerability of infants, age-specific risks, and precipitating factors. In this study, these factors were referred to as infant factors, and feeding and environmental factors. SIDS has been a common cause of death for children under 1 year of age for decades. It is defined as the sudden death of an infant under the age of 1 which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation which must include a complete autopsy. Data were collected for 122 deaths of children between 4 weeks and 1 year of age autopsied in the Hamilton Forensic Pathology Unit over a 10-year period (1995 to 2005). Seventy-Four of these deaths, diagnosed as SIDS, were studied through a close examination of autopsy reports, police reports, and witness statements. Figures, references