pediatrics
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Management of SIDS
Parents who have lost a child to SIDS are grief-stricken and unprepared for the tragedy. Because no definitive cause can be found for their child’s death, they usually have excessive guilt feelings, which may be aggravated by investigations conducted by police, social workers, or others. Family members require support not only during the days immediately after the infant’s death but for at least several months to help them with their grief and dispel guilt feelings. Such support includes, whenever possible, an immediate home visit to observe the circumstances in which SIDS occurred and to inform and counsel the parents concerning the cause of death. Autopsy should be done quickly. As soon as the preliminary results are known (usually within 12 hours), they should be communicated to the parents. Some clinicians advise a series of home or office visits over the first month to continue the earlier discussions, answer questions, and give the family the final (microscopic) autopsy results. At the last meeting, it is appropriate to discuss the parents’ adjustment to their loss, especially their attitude toward having other children. Much of the counseling and support can be complemented by specially trained nurses or by lay people who have themselves experienced the tragedy of and adjustment to SIDS (visit theAmerican SIDS Institutefor more information and resources). 