Attenuated responses to CO2 and hypoxia in parents of threatened sudden infant death syndrome infants.

Ventilatory and heart rate responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia were measured in the following three groups: group I, controls (n equals 15); group II, parents of threatened sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) infants (n equals 10); and group III, parents of SIDS infants (n equals 17). We found significantly reduced heart rate responses to carbon dioxide and hypoxia in group II (1.4 plus or minus 1.9 percent and 16.0 plus or minus 4.0 percent; mean plus or minus SEM) compared with controls (7.1 plus or minus 1.4 percent and 26 plus or minus 2.4 percent; P less than .025). Ventilatory responses to hypoxia in groups II and III were not significantly different from controls. Two group II mothers had a greatly reduce ventilatory response to carbon dioxide. Four other parents in group II had abnormally low heart rate responses to hypoxia or carbon dioxide. We concluded that parents of threatened SIDS infants had reduced heart rate responses to carbon dioxide and hypoxia and may have reduced ventilatory responses to carbon dioxide.