Preventing Tragedies: Moving air, from a fan, is all you need to prevent SIDS?

CUTS RISK 94% - Ventilation could disperse carbon dioxide

SIDS is the leading cause of 2,500 infants death aged 1 month to 1 year old annually, and the third leading cause of overall infant mortality in the United States, and deaths tend to peak in winter months. SIDS isn't any one illness or disease, it is frightening because it can strike without warning, usually in a seemingly healthy infant.

Although many studies have been performed, yet no one could tell for sure what the cause of SIDS is. Based on studies, the American Academy of Pediatrics has some recommendations to reduce SIDS risks, which include avoiding cigarettes during pregnancy and breastfeeding, avoiding use of soft bedding and putting the baby to sleep on his back instead of tummy sleeping.

One theory says SIDS occurs due to the buildup of carbon dioxide when infants with inadequate sleep arousal responses re-breathe exhaled air trapped by soft bedding or proximity to other sleeping family members. These babies may have brain abnormalities that prevent them from gasping and waking when they don't get enough oxygen.

It's cheap, it's easy, it's not going to harm the baby, as long as you use a bedroom fan, your baby’s risk of SIDS decreases considerably, according to a new study published in October 6 issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. Could it be this simple? Moving air, from a fan, is all you need to prevent SIDS?

According to a recent study Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, published in October's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a fan use might be another way to prevent SIDS. The result indicates fan use was linked to a 94 percent decrease in SIDS risks for infants who slept in rooms that exceeded 70 degrees Fahrenheit (above 21 degrees Celsius) and to an 84% decrease for babies who slept in rooms with closed windows. The findings were based on a survey of 185 mothers whose babies died of SIDS and mothers of more than 300 randomly selected babies.

A fan in the room improve air circulation and can help reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome because it preventing the “re-breathing” exhaled air. As the baby breathes exhaled air, the oxygen level in the body drops and carbon dioxide accumulates which could contribute to SIDS.

Sleeping in a room with an open window was found to reduce the risk of SIDS by 36%, while sleeping with a fan in the room was associated with a 72% reduction in risk. The risk reduction with fan use was even greater in babies who were put to bed on their stomachs or had other sleep-related SIDS risk factors.

Parents who worry that their child will be chilled by a fan should know that fans do not cool the air, they simply move air around. However, parents should make sure to take normal safety precautions, keeping cords out of the way and making sure the fan can’t be knocked down by a toddler or pet.

The lead author of the study, De-Kun Li, MD, PhD. said although the use of fans and sleeping in a room with an open window was also found to lower the risk by more than 70%, however the fan use should not replace other sleeping strategies for lowering SIDS:

• Avoiding soft bedding: pillow, waterbed, sheepskin, or other soft surface in cribs Place your baby on a firm mattress to sleep. To prevent “re-breathing”, do not put blankets, comforters, stuffed toys, or pillows near the baby.
  
  
• Although babies can be brought into their parents' bed for nursing or comforting, they should not share the bed when parents are sleeping.
  
  
• Pacifiers also seem to protect babies, the researchers said, perhaps because the handles prevent a child’s face from becoming pressed against the mattress. A research study in 2005 found that use of a pacifier cut the risk of SIDS by 90%. Sleeping in.
  
  
• There is strong evidence that overheating may significantly raise the risk of SIDS. Overheating can result from overheated room, wrapping or covering a baby with too many blankets, particularly when baby has a fever or respiratory infection. Keep the room at a temperature that feels comfortable for an adult in a short-sleeve shirt.
  
  
• Do not smoke, drink, or use drugs while pregnant. Infants of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are three times more likely to die of SIDS than those whose mothers were smoke-free; exposure to secondhand smoke doubles a baby's risk of SIDS.
  
  
• Do not expose your baby to secondhand smoke.
  
  
• Receive early and regular prenatal care.
  
  
• Make sure your baby has regular well-baby checkups.
  
  
• Breastfeed, if possible. There is some evidence that breastfeeding may help decrease the incidence of SIDS.

Growing public awareness of SIDS and the steps to reduce infants' risk of sudden death hopefully will leave fewer parents searching for answers in the future for protecting their infants from SIDS tragedy.