Study Finds Infant Death Risk in a Shared Bed

A new study has found that sharing a bed with a baby or putting a baby to sleep on surfaces other than a crib can increase the risk of dying. The study, conducted by researchers from St. Louis University School of Medicine and Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO, USA), was published in the September issue of Pediatrics electronic pages, the online journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The researchers reviewed death-scene information on 119 infant deaths, of which 88 were diagnosed as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), 16 as accidental suffocation, and 15 as undetermined. Ten infants were entrapped by a bed or other sleep surface, causing asphyxiation. In seven cases, the infant died after being entrapped by the body of a bedmate. In more than 60% of cases, infants were found on their stomachs, in more than 75% of cases, infants were found on a sleep surface not designed for infants, such as an adult bed, sofa, or chair. In nearly 30% of cases, bedding covered the baby's head or face, and in more than 50% of cases, the site of death was a shared sleep surface.

Having the baby sleep alone on his or her back in a crib with safe bedding eliminates hazards such as suffocation from unsafe bedding and adult overlaying, noted Michael Graham, M.D., city medical examiner for St. Louis, codirector of St. Louis University Division of Forensic Science, and a collaborator in the study.