http://www.charlotte.com/observer/natwor/docs/sids0905.htm
Published Wednesday, September
5, 2001
After complaints
The American Academy of Pediatrics said in February all sudden, unexplained
infant deaths should be investigated in hospital emergency rooms by a child abuse
expert, out of concern a small portion of SIDS deaths might be homicides.
The National Association of Medical Examiners had complained the initial
policy could result in illegal meddling with autopsies if outside experts
examined bodies before they did.
The policy angered some parents of SIDS babies, who worried it made them
appear guilty.
"It was like they were saying, who cares what the medical examiner
said; you abused your child," said Charlene Melcher, 38, of Orlando, Fla.,
whose son died of SIDS in 1998.
The amended policy "provides pediatricians with information and
guidelines to avoid distressing or stigmatizing families of sudden infant death
syndrome victims while allowing accumulation of appropriate evidence in
potential cases of death by infanticide," the academy said.
Dr. Randy Hanzlick, president of the medical examiners group, praised the
revision and said medical examiners welcome working with outside experts to
investigate unexplained infant deaths.
Experts do not know what causes SIDS, which kills about 3,000 infants a
year, though theories include brain stem defects and heat stress.
The policy published in February stemmed from a few highly publicized cases
and a 1997 report from British researchers who documented an alarming number of
parents trying to suffocate their babies.
On the web