A Retrospective Study of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Cases in the Hamilton-Wentworth Region from 1995 to 2005

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been a common cause of death for children under one year of age for decades. It is defined as the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation which must include a complete autopsy including metabolic studies and cytogenetics, examination of the death scene, a police investigation, and a review of the clinical history. Data was collected for 122 deaths of children between 4 weeks and 1 year of age autopsied in the Hamilton Forensic Pathology Unit over a ten-year period (January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2005). Seventy-four of these deaths, diagnosed as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, were studied through a close examination of autopsy reports, police reports, and witness statements. The investigations in all of these cases were done according to the protocol of the Office of the Chief Coroner for the Province of Ontario for the investigation of infant deaths under 2 years of age. Many previously identified risk factors were examined such as prone sleeping position, maternal smoking, gender, season, formula feeding, and pulmonary edema. Other factors such as feeding time and lung weight were also included in the study. The significance of novel findings noted in the eyes of infants examined in this department will also be reviewed. Although the exact cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome remains unknown, even today, this study has confirmed that there is in fact an increased risk of SIDS associated with formula feeding, feeding shortly before sleep-time, prone sleeping position, maternal smoking, and the first three months of early childhood.