Pathological findings in SIDS infants found in the supine position compared to the prone.

Abstract

A study was undertaken to determine whether pathological findings differed in infants who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the supine position (N=12), compared to those who died in teh prone position (N=24). No significant differences could be found in the occurrence of pulmonary edema and congestion, and in mild chronic inflammation of the major airways. Macroscopically observed pleural and epicardial petechiae were found in 75% of infants in both groups, and thymic petechia were noted in 92% of supine infants and in 96% of prone infants. Histological examination of the thymus showed slightly more petechiae in the supine group (mean=8.3) compared to the prone group (mean=4.4), although this did not reach statistical significance. No effect of resuscitation on the number of thymic petechiae could be shown. In this study, common pathological findings occured with similar frequency in SIDS infants who were found in the supine compared to the prone position, and thus could not be used to differentiate between these two groups.