Infant Death Related to Poor Sleep Practices

By 250 News

In 88 per cent of sudden infant deaths recently reviewed, one or more unsafe sleep risk factors was identified, and the Child Death Review Unit of the BC Coroners Service is urging parents and caregivers to ensure infants are placed to sleep in a safe environment.

Last week, the unit completed the review of 33 sudden infant deaths, most of which occurred in 2005-2006.

"In 29 cases, we found evidence of at least one, sometimes multiple, unsafe sleep practices," said Kellie Kilpatrick, director of the Child Death Review Unit. "Bed-sharing was the number one risk factor, and while we know that in a small number of cases, infants die suddenly during sleep with no explanation, these 29 cases demonstrate the critical need to educate parents and caregivers on how they can reduce the risks of preventable deaths."

This is consistent with a preliminary review of infant deaths that occurred in 2007, which confirms that unsafe sleep practices continue to be risk factors seen in sudden infant deaths.

These practices include

• unsafe sleep surfaces (adult beds or couches),
• unsafe sleep environments (bed-sharing, extraneous items including blankets and/or
  toys) and
• unsafe sleep positions (on stomach or side).

The Child Death Review Unit’s (CDRU) full report on sudden infant deaths 2003-2007 will examine the trends seen in over 110 cases of unsafe sleep and is
expected to be released later this year.

    

Tools:    Email to Friend | Print | Digg this Article | Save this Page

Comments

There are currently no comments for this article.