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infant mortality case studies
infant mortality case studies
abstract on infant mortality
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SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a leading cause of death in infants under the age of one, has left medical experts unable to clearly define sudden infant death syndrome. After thirty years of research, the medical field has not discovered definite causes for SIDS. Medical experts have suggested many theories that have been studied and debated.
In the Western world, SIDS is the most common cause of death for infants between two weeks and one year of age, but SIDS also occurs throughout the world. SIDS most commonly happens during sleep, although it can occur anywhere, such as in baby carriages, safety car seats, or even someone’s arms. There are no warning signals and there are no products to prevent SIDS.
Ninety-five percent of SIDS cases happen in infants between two
weeks and four months. The rate of occurrence is higher for boys than girls, with 60% percent in boys and 40% in girls. (American 1) Infants born to teenage mothers and low birth weight are considered high risk factors for SIDS.
SIDS has been researched throughout the world, with many medical experts debating the studies. Some past theories believed to trigger SIDS were childhood vaccinations, blood disorders, apnea and even parent neglect, but none of these theories were proven true.
In a more recent study, the H Pylori Link to SIDS proposed that
there was "An association between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Helicobacter Pylori infection." (SIDS Alliance 5) The study asserted that H Pylori, a type of common bacteria associated to ulcers, was lethal when passed through saliva from an infected parent or other care giver by contact such as kissing. Among other reasons, the study was found faulty because the control population was flawed.
On May 14, 2000, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded research announced finding that SIDS infants have an abnormal brain pathway. The affected areas of the brainstem are important to the functions in regulating breathing, heart beat and body temperature and arousal.
"These findings show that SIDS infants have a more global biological deficit than we previousl...
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2. Emery, RW Dr., Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A "Diagnosis" in Search of a Disease, Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine. Harcourt International, Australia, 1995, pp. 121-128. http://www.forwoman.net/owh/pr/1998%20Press%20Releases/22coct98.htm
3. SIDS: Uncovering the Mystery. Intellihealth, Harvard Medical School Health Information. http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?t=23873&p=~br,IHW|~st,24479|~r,WSIHW000|~b,*|.
4. Study Confirms Deficit in Brainstems of SIDS Victims. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, May 16, 2000. http://156.40.88.3:9000/cgi-bin/query?mss=simple&pg=q&what=web&user=searchintranet&enc=iso88591&site=main&q=SIDS.
5. H Pylori Link to SIDS Challenged by SIDS Medical Experts. SIDS Alliance Organization, Media Advisory, Oct. 25, 2000. http://www.sidsalliance.org/media/default.asp?goto=85.
a baby ranging from low birth weight and abnormalities to death. There are a few government
Squier, W. (2011). The "Shaken Baby" syndrome: pathology and mechanisms. Acta Neuropathologica, 122(5), 519-542. doi:10.1007/s00401-011-0875-2
First of all, it is necessary to understand some of the important features of this syndrome (Naeye, 1976). As mentioned initially, SIDS deaths occur in infants ages one month to one year. Also, 90% to 95% of these infants die during sleep, and most of these deaths are silent. One-third to one-half of the SIDS victims have been found to have a mild infection (normally respiratory in nature) prior to death. SIDS has also been found to be in part associated with a low socioeconomic status, and it is more common among non-whites. Although SIDS seems to be associated with a low socioeconomic status, SIDS is not caused by malnutrition. A more recent article also reported that more male infants were victims of SIDS than females ( Becker 361 ). Finally, SIDS has been more often associated with prematurely born infants. This seems to suggest that developmental immaturity may present a likely situation for the development of SIDS. Each of these characteristics must be considered when forming hypotheses for the possible cause of SIDS.
In the United States, approximately 2 million children are living with life threatening conditions and 18,000 new born die within the first 28 days of life due to prematurity/immaturity, infection, and congenital anomalies annually (Thibeau 2012). Globally 450 newborns die every hour (Eden 2010).
The cause or causes of SIDS are still unknown. Most researchers now believe that babies who die of SIDS are born with one or more conditions that make them vulnerable to both internal and external stresses that occur in the normal life of an infant. Most deaths from SIDS occur by the end of the sixth month with the greatest number taking place between two and four months of age. A SIDS death occurs quickly and is often associated with sleep, with no signs of suffering. More deaths are reported in the winter months and most victims are boys, with a sixty-to-forty percent male-to-female ratio.
…The infant had been born with anencephaly, or lack of cranial development. The infant’s skull was an open sore that the nurses packed and layered with gauze to give his face a round appearance. Because of lack of cerebral hemispheres, the infant was incapable of any conscious activity. After his birth, the infant was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and placed in a bassinet. He was reported to be kicking and breathing, and his ...
An estimated 1,000 to 3,000 children die each year from it. SBS occurs when a frustrated caregiver or parent of a baby violently shakes the baby in an attempt to subdue crying. Punishable by charges of child abuse and homicide, it’s not taken lightly. Since a baby has weak neck muscles and a larger head, it’s more susceptible to brain damage. When shaken, the brain bounces around inside the skull, damaging tissues causing bruising, bleeding and swelling. This results in either severe brain damage or death. Symptoms of SBS include retinal bleeding, damage to the spinal cord and neck and rib fractures. Often, babies display lethargy, convulsions, difficulty breathing, irritability and convulsions. If the baby survives the surgery to try to repair damages within the brain, they will develop either cerebral palsy or cognitive impairment. This leads us to the disorders of the brain that patients are born
Risk factors involve the child itself and the parent or caretaker. Risk factors for the child consist of male gender, history of colic, prematurity, low birth weight, drug/nicotine/alcohol exposure, or withdrawal syndrome, special needs or medically fragile and babies with poor bonding to caregivers (Meskauskas, Beaton, & Meservey, 2009, p. 326). Young parental age, unstable family environment, low soc...
Quattrochi, J., McBride, P., and Yates, A. Brainstem immaturity in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A quantitative rapid Golgi study of dendritic spines in 95 infants. Brain Research, 325:39-48, 1985.
Prevention, U. D. (2008). A Journalist’s “Five Ws”. Retrieved May 18, 2013, from A Journalist’s Guide to Shaken Baby Syndrome:A Preventable Tragedy: http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/pdf/sbs_media_guide_508_optimized-a.pdf
A general description of SIDS is rather difficult to come by, mainly because of the overwhelming vagueness of the disease and its questionable etiology. Out of all SIDS deaths, 90% occur in infants less than 6 months of age. In deaths occurring in infants between 2 and 4 months of age, 70% are due to SIDS. These deaths are most likely to occur during the winter and fall months. Roughly 3,000 – 4,000 babies die of sudden infant death in the United States annually.
number of deaths due to SIDS, it accounts for only a small percentage. It is a
This case was taken into the British court system where, after a long trial, a judge upheld the doctor’s decision not to resuscitate. The reasoning was that the judge felt he could not order the doctors to perform actions that would cause increased suffering for the child. After considering the doctrines of the sanctity of life and the...
Wisborg, K., Kesmodel, U., Tine, B. H., Sjurdur, F. O., & Secher, N. J. (2000). A prospective study of smoking during pregnancy and SIDS. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 83(3), 203-6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196895386?accountid=41057
Curtis WJ, Lindeke LL, Georgieff MK, Nelson CA. Neurobehavioural functioning in neonatal intensive care unit graduates in late childhood and early adolescence. Brain : a journal of neurology. 2002;125(Pt 7):1646-1659.