Criteria
Definition of SIDS
An expert panel convened by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development defined SIDS as:[2]
Sudden death of an infant under 1 year of age, and
Cause of death unclear after thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and a review of the clinical history.
The American Academy of Pediatrics use the following definition for unexplained sudden death in infancy or SIDS:[3]
'The sudden unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant aged <1 year, in which investigation, autopsy, medical history review, and appropriate laboratory testing fail to identify a specific cause, including cases that meet the definition of SIDS'.
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