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Sudden infant death syndrome

Syndroma mortis subitae infantis · Syndrom náhlého úmrtí kojence

What it is

The unexplained death of a sleeping baby under one; the cause is unknown, probably a brainstem that fails to wake the child, and safe sleep halves the risk.

Symptoms & signs

  • No warning signs
  • mostly between 1 and 4 months
  • during sleep

🚩 Get help if…

  • call 112 / 911 now Baby not breathing, blue or floppy — call and start CPR
  • call 112 / 911 now Pauses in breathing or colour change in a sleeping baby
  • see a doctor soon Baby sleeping on the front or side, or in a shared bed after alcohol or smoking
  • see a doctor soon Baby who is unusually sleepy, feverish or not feeding

Where it strikes

Medical treatment

  • Safe-sleep advice: on the back, in their own cot, in the parents' room
  • no smoking in pregnancy or near the baby
  • dummy at sleep
  • family support after a death

Natural & lifestyle

  • Breastfeeding
  • firm flat mattress, no pillows or bumpers
  • avoid overheating

Emerging & experimental

  • Brainstem serotonin research
  • genetic screening of cardiac channelopathies

Alternative, off-label & anecdotal

Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.

  • Amber teething necklaces — marketed as calming; a strangulation hazard anecdotal / traditional
  • Home breathing monitors — no evidence they prevent SIDS anecdotal / traditional
  • Room sharing and breastfeeding — observational evidence of lower risk early / small studies

ICD codes