Accidental death or sudden infant death syndrome?

OBJECTIVE

To describe the reasons why it is difficult to decide whether to attribute some infant deaths to accidents or to SIDS.

METHODOLOGY

To extract from infant deaths data in South Australia those where the cause of death is debatable.

RESULTS

The risks associated with rocking cradles, bed sharing, bedclothes, couch sleeping, unsafe cots or beds and the prone position are presented.

CONCLUSIONS

Uniform worldwide death scene investigations for all infant deaths should help identify unsafe sleeping conditions for infants.