Abstract □ 149

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has witnessed a dramatic decrease of SIDS deaths in the State of Maryland in the past five years. The number of SIDS deaths dropped significantly from 97 cases in 1993 to 57 cases in 1997, a 41% decrease.

This report focuses on the epidemiological characteristics of SIDS deaths, especially on sleeping location, co-sleeping and sleeping position of SIDS infants in Maryland. Our data demonstrated that the percentage of the prone sleeping positions in SIDS infants has decreased significantly during the last five years. This finding is consistent with the decline in the prone sleeping position in the general infant population in Maryland. The evaluation of sleeping position as a risk factor in SIDS deaths is presented.