pediatrics
Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Diagnosis of SIDS
Exclusion of other causes by autopsy The diagnosis of SIDS, while largely one of exclusion, cannot be made without an adequate autopsy to rule out other causes of sudden, unexpected death (eg, intracranial hemorrhage, meningitis, myocarditis). An autopsy may be required in many states. Also, the care team (including social workers) should sensitively assess the likelihood of infant suffocation or nonaccidental trauma (see Overview of Child Maltreatment ); concern for this etiology should increase when the affected infant was outside the highest-risk age group (1 to 5 months) or another infant in the family had SUID or frequent 