THE LATEST IN RESEARCH

Infant Deaths in Sitting Devices

Pediatrics, May 2019

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"Conclusions: There are higher odds of sleep-related infant death in sitting devices when a child care provider or baby-sitter is the primary supervisor. Using car safety seats for sleep in nontraveling contexts may pose a risk to the infant."

A Hospital-Based Initiative to Reduce Postdischarge Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths

AAP News, July 2018

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"Conclusion: A comprehensive sleep safety culture change can be effectively integrated into a nursery setting over time by using feedback from Child Fatality Review and performance improvement methodology. Repeated messaging and education by the entire nursery staff has the potential to play a role in reducing sleep-related deaths in infants born at the hospital."

Protecting Infants From Sleep-Related Deaths - A Wake-up Call

​JAMA Pediatrics - published online June 18, 2018

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Why has no substantial progress been made in preventing sleep-related infant deaths? Approximately 3,700 infants (≤ 1 year) have died each year in the past 15 years, most of whom died before age 6 months. No recent breakthrough has occurred for this public health issue, which kills a surprisingly large number of society’s most vulnerable—typically healthy infants. After the 1992 American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation regarding sleep position and the National Institutes of Health–led Back to Sleep campaign, infant deaths significantly declined; however, since the late 1990s, the decline in sleep-related infant deaths has plateaued.

Despite Educational Campaigns, US Infants Are Still Dying Due to Unsafe Sleep Conditions

JAMA, June 6, 2018

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It’s been nearly a quarter of a century since the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) launched the “Back to Sleep” campaign and more than a decade since the NICHD renamed the campaign “Safe to Sleep” to educate physicians and caregivers about safe sleep environments as well as the safe sleep position.

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And yet, approximately 3,500 sleep-related infant deaths still occur each year in the United States, a number that has remained fairly steady since initial declines in the 1990s.​

Infant Mortality Due to Unintentional Suffocation Among Infants Younger Than 1 Year in the United States, 1999-2015

JAMA Pediatrics, April 2018

"The increase in suffocations and strangulations in bed was the primary driver for the overall increase in unintentional mortality from 1999 to 2015.

"Multiple stakeholders have recently addressed safe sleep for infants, promoting interventions such as safe sleeping without blankets, stuffed animals, and other risks; reduction of co-sleeping and removal of unsafe baby products, such as some infant sleep positioners that are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration but were marketed to the general public. Despite these efforts, our results indicate that infant deaths from suffocation are continuing and efforts by government and nongovernment agencies must continue and be enhanced."

Infant Death Study Reveals Unsafe Sleep Practices Among Babysitters, Relatives, Others

The Journal of Pediatrics, April 2, 2018

Babies who died in their sleep while being watched by someone other than parents often had been placed in unsafe sleep positions, such as on their stomachs, or in unsafe locations, such as a couch, a new infant death SIDS study has found.

Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Rates Vary Widely From State-to-State

AAP News, March 2018

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SUID rates declined from 154.6 per 100 000 live births in 1990 to 92.4 in 2015, declining 44.6% from 1990 to 1998 and 7% from 1999 to 2015. From 1999 to 2015, SIDS rates decreased 35.8%, ASSB rates increased 183.8%, and there was no significant change in unknown cause rates. SUID trends among states varied widely from 41.5 to 184.3 in 2000–2002 and from 33.2 to 202.2 in 2013–2015.