Division of Reproductive Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Department of Pediatrics, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, New York.
Pediatrics. 2021 Oct;148(4). doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-053746. Epub 2021 Sep 20.
After a sudden infant death, parents and caregivers need accurate and open communication about why their infant died. Communicating tragic news about a child's death to families and caregivers is difficult. Shared and consistent terminology is essential for pediatricians, other physicians, and nonphysician clinicians to improve communication with families and among themselves. When families do not have complete information about why their child died, pediatricians will not be able to support them through the process and make appropriate referrals for pediatric specialty and mental health care. Families can only speculate about the cause and may blame themselves or others for the infant's death. The terminology used to describe infant deaths that occur suddenly and unexpectedly includes an assortment of terms that vary across and among pediatrician, other physician, or nonphysician clinician disciplines. Having consistent terminology is critical to improve the understanding of the etiology, pathophysiology, and epidemiology of these deaths and communicate with families. A lack of consistent terminology also makes it difficult to reliably monitor trends in mortality and hampers the ability to develop effective interventions. This report describes the history of sudden infant death terminology and summarizes the debate over the terminology and the resulting diagnostic shift of these deaths. This information is to assist pediatricians, other physicians, and nonphysician clinicians in caring for families during this difficult time. The importance of consistent terminology is outlined, followed by a summary of progress toward consensus. Recommendations for pediatricians, other physicians, and nonphysician clinicians are proposed.
婴儿猝死后，父母和照顾者需要准确、开放地了解其婴儿死亡的原因。向家庭和照顾者传达儿童死亡的悲惨消息是困难的。儿科医生、其他医生和非医生临床医生之间共享和一致的术语对于改善与家庭的沟通以及相互之间的沟通至关重要。如果家庭没有关于其孩子死亡原因的完整信息，儿科医生将无法在整个过程中为他们提供支持，并为儿科专业和心理健康护理做出适当的转介。家庭只能猜测死因，并可能因婴儿的死亡而自责或责怪他人。用于描述突然和意外发生的婴儿死亡的术语包括儿科医生、其他医生或非医生临床医生学科之间各种不同的术语。使用一致的术语对于提高对这些死亡的病因、病理生理学和流行病学的理解以及与家庭沟通至关重要。缺乏一致的术语也使得难以可靠地监测死亡率趋势，并阻碍了制定有效干预措施的能力。本报告描述了婴儿猝死术语的历史，并总结了术语方面的争论以及这些死亡的诊断转变。这些信息旨在帮助儿科医生、其他医生和非医生临床医生在这个困难时期照顾家庭。强调了术语一致性的重要性，随后总结了在达成共识方面取得的进展。提出了针对儿科医生、其他医生和非医生临床医生的建议。
