The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 150, Issue 3 , Pages 241-246 , March 2007

Aspiration of Gastric Contents in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome without Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

  • Henry F. Krous, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pathology, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, California
    • Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Dr Henry F. Krous, Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center, 3020 Children’s Way, MC5007, San Diego, CA 92123.
    • ,
  • Homeyra Masoumi, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pathology, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, California
    • ,
  • Elisabeth A. Haas, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pathology, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, California
    • ,
  • Amy E. Chadwick, BA

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pathology, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, California
    • ,
  • Christina Stanley, MD

      Affiliations

    • Office of the Medical Examiner, County of San Diego, California
    • ,
  • Bradley T. Thach, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.

Received 28 June 2006 ,Revised 31 October 2006 ,Accepted 7 December 2006.

References 

  1. Bajanowski T, Ott A, Jorch G, Brinkmann B. Frequency and type of aspiration in cases of sudden infant death (SID) in correlation with the body position at the time of discovery. J Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Infant Mortality. 1996;1:271–279
  2. Byard RW, Beal SM. Gastric aspiration and sleeping position in infancy and early childhood. J Paediatr Child Health. 2000;36:403–405
  3. Isaksen CV, Helweg-Larsen K. The impact of attempted resuscitation in SIDS: postmortem findings. In:  Rognum TO editors. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (New Trends in the Nineties). Oslo: Scandinavian University Press; 1995;p. 70–73
  4. Gardner AMN. Aspiration of food and vomit. Q J Med. 1958;27:227–242
  5. Krous HF, Beckwith JB, Byard RW, Rognum TO, Bajanowski T, Corey T, et al. Sudden infant death syndrome and unclassified sudden infant deaths: a definitional and diagnostic approach. Pediatrics. 2004;114:234–238
  6. Mitchell EA, Scragg R, Stewart AW, Becroft DM, Taylor BJ, Ford RP, et al. Results from the first year of the New Zealand cot death study. N Z Med J. 1991;104:71–76
  7. Taylor JA, Krieger JW, Reay DT, Davis RL, Harruff R, Cheney LK. Prone sleep position and the sudden infant death syndrome in King County, Washington: a case-control study. J Pediatr. 1996;128:626–630
  8. Fleming PJ, Gilbert R, Azaz Y, Berry PJ, Rudd PT, Stewart A, et al. Interaction between bedding and sleeping position in the sudden infant death syndrome: a population based case-control study. BMJ. 1990;301:85–89
  9. Hauck FR. Changing epidemiology. In:  Byard RW,  Krous HF editor. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Problems, Progress & Possibilities. London: Arnold; 2001;p. 31–57
  10. Malloy MH. Trends in postneonatal aspiration deaths and reclassification of sudden infant death syndrome: impact of the “Back to Sleep” program. Pediatrics. 2002;109:661–665
  11. Dwyer T, Ponsonby AL. The decline of SIDS: a success story for epidemiology. Epidemiology. 1996;7:323–325
  12. Gibson E, Dembofsky CA, Rubin S, Greenspan JS. Infant sleep position practices 2 years into the “back to sleep” campaign. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2000;39:285–289
  13. Brenner RA, Simons-Morton BG, Bhaskar B, Mehta N, Melnick VL, Revenis M, et al. Prevalence and predictors of the prone sleep position among inner-city infants. JAMA. 1998;280:341–346
  14. Willinger M, James LS, Catz C. Defining the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): deliberations of an expert panel convened by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Pediatr Pathol. 1991;11:677–684
  15. Willinger M, Hoffman HJ, Wu KT, Hou JR, Kessler RC, Ward SL, et al. Factors associated with the transition to nonprone sleep positions of infants in the United States: the National Infant Sleep Position Study. JAMA. 1998;280:329–335
  16. Willinger M, Ko CW, Hoffman HJ, Kessler RC, Corwin MJ. Factors associated with caregivers’ choice of infant sleep position, 1994-1998: the National Infant Sleep Position Study. JAMA. 2000;283:2135–2142
  17. Ponsonby AL, Dwyer T, Couper D. Sleeping position, infant apnea, and cyanosis: a population-based study. Pediatrics. 1997;99:e3
  18. Hunt L, Fleming P, Golding J The ALSPAC Study Team. Does the supine sleeping position have any adverse effects on the child? I (Health in the first six months). Pediatrics. 1997;100:E11
  19. Hunt CE, Lesko SM, Vezina RM, McCoy R, Corwin MJ, Mandell F, et al. Infant sleep position and associated health outcomes. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003;157:469–474
  20. Alex N, Thompson JM, Becroft DM, Mitchell EA. Pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents and the sudden infant death syndrome. J Paediatr Child Health. 2005;41:428–431
  21. Iwadate K, Doy M, Ito Y. Screening of milk aspiration in 105 infant death cases by immunostaining with anti-human alpha-lactalbumin antibody. Forensic Sci Int. 2001;122:95–100
  22. Althoff H. Sudden infant death syndrome (S.I.D.S) (Veroffentfichungen aus der morphologischen Pathologie). Stuttgart: Fischer; 1980;
  23. Mueller B. Gerichtliche Medizin. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer; 1976;
  24. Thach BT. Sudden infant death syndrome: can gastroesophageal reflux cause sudden infant death?. Am J Med. 2000;108(suppl 4a):144S–148S
  25. Poets CF, Meny RG, Chobanian MR, Bonofiglo RE. Gasping and other cardiorespiratory patterns during sudden infant deaths. Pediatr Res. 1999;45:350–354
  26. Sridhar R, Thach BT, Kelly DH, Henslee JA. Characterization of successful and failed autoresuscitation in human infants, including those dying of SIDS. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2003;36:113–122
  27. Khurana A, Thach BT. Effects of upper airway stimulation on swallowing, gasping, and autoresuscitation in hypoxic mice. J Appl Physiol. 1996;80:472–477
  28. Stevens LH. Sudden unexplained death in infancy. Amer J Dis Child. 1965;110:243–244
  29. Kinney HC, Filiano JJ, White WF. Medullary serotonergic network deficiency in the sudden infant death syndrome: review of a 15-year study of a single dataset. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2001;60:228–247
  30. Kinney HC. Abnormalities of the brainstem serotonergic system in the sudden infant death syndrome: a review. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2005;8:507–524
  31. Kinney HC, Myers MM, Belliveau RA, Randall LL, Trachtenberg FL, Fingers ST, et al. Subtle autonomic and respiratory dysfunction in sudden infant death syndrome associated with serotonergic brainstem abnormalities: a case report. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2005;64:689–694
  32. Ottaviani G, Matturri L, Mingrone R, Lavezzi AM. Hypoplasia and neuronal immaturity of the hypoglossal nucleus in sudden infant death. J Clin Pathol. 2006;59:497–500
  33. Cavell B. Gastric emptying in infants fed human milk or infant formula. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1981;70:639–641
  34. Van Den Driessche M, Peeters K, Marien P, Ghoos Y, Devlieger H, Veereman-Wauters G. Gastric emptying in formula-fed and breast-fed infants measured with the 13c-octanoic acid breath test. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1991;29:46–51
  35. Hillemeier AC, Lange R, McCallum RI, Seashore J, Gryboski J. Delayed gastric emptying in infants with gastroesophageal reflux. J Pediatr. 1981;98:190–193
  36. Orenstein SR. An overview of reflux-associated disorders in infants: apnea, laryngospasm, and aspiration. Am J Med. 2001;111(suppl 8A):60S–63S
  37. Sandhu BK, Sawczenko A. Gastroesophageal reflux in children. Indian J Pediatr. 1999;66:S52–S55

 Grant support from the CJ Foundation for SIDS and First Candle/SIDS Alliance. Donations from the San Diego Guild for Infant Survival, the Orange County Guild for Infant Survival, and the San Diego SIDS/SUDC Research Project.

PII: S0022-3476(06)01189-9

doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2006.12.012

The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 150, Issue 3 , Pages 241-246 , March 2007

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution