Abstract â–¡ 16

Nowadays SID is an important cause of infant death. Probably if the total infant mortality rate decrease SID rate will be stable. In the Western world from many years it's started a compaign of "reduce the risks" because of interaction of physiological events with epidemiological risk factors. These include prone sleeping, parenteral cigarette smoking, prenatal substance abuse, socially deprived family, overheating and others while many disorders are involved to induce this syndrome; the most important are: cardiac anomalies, congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, respiratory tract anomalies, inborn errors of metabolism, infantile spinal muscolar atrophy, apparent life-threatening event, cardiac arrhythmias. The role of the neonatologist is of primary importance Above all he must provide to make SID known to pediatric nurses, where it's understimated, training them to risk factors to deliver a counseling and a support for families.

Then it's fundamental an approach to parents before discharge to explain what it's SID, which are risk factors that include, besides above - mentioned reasons, neonatal risk factors, such as low birth weight and its causes, utero growth retardation with particular care to cardiac, respiratory and temperature control, so to deliver a counseling and a support for families. Furthermore he should describe general maternal behaviors, such as attempting to limit or stop cigarette smoking, educating mothers about the benefits of breast feeding nd teaching them to place their infants on their sides or backs when putting them to bed.

Moreover, where it's possible, it should be traced back a score for identifying mothers and infant at high risk for SID. A particular helpful it should be offer to that families which have had SID death, through a designated program of management, counseling and support sustained from specialty trained personnel.