Study Blames Poor Judgment by Parents in Many Crib Death Cases

Many baby deaths attributed to the mysterious sudden infant death syndrome actually result from suffocation, heavy bundling and other accidents that are caused by parents’ poor judgment, a study concludes.

But a leading researcher on the syndrome, known as SIDS, or crib death, cautioned that the study looked at cases that may not be typical of such deaths nationwide and said most babies who die from the syndrome show no signs of parental negligence.

The study was based on an investigation of deaths of babies brought to Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. It was directed by Dr. Milllard Bass, a forensic pathologist at the State University of New York, and published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Cases Investigated

The doctors investigated 26 instances of sudden infant death and found at least some evidence of accidental causes in all but two of them.

“What occurred in Brooklyn is probably characteristic of the problem nationwide,” Bass said. “It appears there are a lot of misdiagnoses being made.”

His investigation turned up cases in which mothers apparently smothered their babies by rolling on them in their sleep. Babies also appeared to die from being placed too close to radiators at night or were asphyxiated by their bedding.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Bradley T. Thach of St. Louis Children’s Hospital said the cases might not be typical of crib deaths elsewhere, so “considerable caution is needed in making generalizations based on these data.”

Common Cause of Death

When a seemingly healthy baby dies unexpectedly or without explanation, the cause of death is frequently attributed to sudden infant death syndrome. It is the most common cause of death among children between the first month and first year of life.

SIDS is listed as the cause of death of an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 babies in the United States each year. Although some cases are thought to result from breathing abnormalities, the cause of SIDS is largely unknown.

Bass said that while SIDS can happen in middle-class families, victims are almost always poor. In the neighborhoods where the study was conducted, for instance, there were more than four SIDS deaths for every 1,000 births. This is 10 times higher than the rate in more affluent parts of New York City.