Category Archives: Emergency medicine

Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy (SUDI)

Child protection, Emergency medicine, General paediatrics, Sociology

Or Cot death?  Or SIDS (Sudden infant death syndrome)?

It is well recognised that some babies go to sleep apparently healthy, and then don’t wake up in the morning.  Even after a full post mortem (PM) investigation, no cause is found.  This unexplained phenomenon however has some very well recognised features eg age 2-6 months, prematurity, maternal smoking, poor socio-economic conditions, prone sleeping.

SUDI was originally defined by CESDI (Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy) as death between 7 and 365 days where unexpected and unexplained at autopsy, during an acute illness that was not recognised as life-threatening, due to an acute illness of less than 24 h duration in a previously healthy infant (or death after this if life had only been prolonged by intensive medical care); definition also includes deaths from a pre-existing occult condition, and deaths from any form of accident, trauma or poisoning.

I find SUDI most useful for describing the initial situation one may find oneself in, particularly from the point of view of bereavement, need for medical and police investigation.  Interestingly, many of the same risk factors pertain to both deaths unexplained (ie SIDS, or strict SUDI) and to accidental deaths (with the exception of prone sleeping).

SIDS is the ICD recognized term, so is what is generally put on a death certificate.  However pathologists vary in their use of the terminology, some will use “Unascertained” to mean SIDS, others will use SIDS but reserve Unascertained for cases where there are additional factors that somehow cast doubt on the diagnosis.

Similarly, overlying (smothering) as a cause of SUDI is often inferred from the history, but may be specified on the death certificate to differentiate from SIDS.

PM finds a cause in about a 1/3 of cases) eg

  • Infection
  • Cardiomyopathy, anomalies of coronaries
  • Ion channelopathies
  • Metabolic disorders eg MCAD

See also Prevention, and Sudden unexpected postnatal collapse.

Sepsis

Emergency medicine, Infectious disease

See also Sepsis6.

In reviews of child deaths, most significant recurrent avoidable factor is failure to recognize severe illness, most often at point of first contact with health services (Why children die, Pearson Arch Dis Child doi:10.1136/adc.2009.177071)

American College of critical care medicine 2007 shock update – central venous and arterial monitoring, dopamine within 15 mins, then warm vs cold shock, etc.  2009 Paed intensive care society audit in UK found majority of children (62%) targets were not met, for reasons that remain unclear. OR for death 3.8 where shock still present at time of PICU admission.

In 2011 goal directed therapy study, less intubations and inotropes, half the number of deaths. (But less severe group?) [Andrea Cruz, Pediatrics 2011;127;e758; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-2895]

Chinese study of antibiotic timing found reduced time to reversal of shock where given within 1 hour.

Definition of risk group – Paed CCM international consensus conference – at least 2 of the following 4, 1 must be abnormal temp (reported within 4 hours of admission if afebrile at presentation)

  • Core temp <36 or > 38.5
  • Tachycardia
  • Bradycardia
  • Tachypnoea
  • Leucocyte count elevated for age or >10% immature neutrophils

(Not clear why different criteria used for sepsis6)

Def of inappropriate tachycardia?

Studies continue to be done looking for predictive factors esp young infants.

Management

  • Give high flow O2, regardless of sats!
  • Titrate fluids over 5-10 mins, repeat if necessary. Aim to reverse shock.
  • Early inotropic support viz adrenaline (make up during 3rd bolus). 0.3mg/kg in 50ml 5% dextrose, 1ml/hr (0.1mcg/kg/min)
  • 15 mins ideal, within 60mins acceptable.