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There is a great deal of variation in the methods and wording used by medical examiners in the medicolegal investigation and certification of infant deaths. This paper was created by the NAME Ad Hoc Committee on Sudden Unexplained Infant Death to address several specific issues, namely: * To establish a functional approach to the investigation of sudden unexplained infant deaths; * To outline a "bare minimum" set of recommendations to define the scope of investigation required; * To recommend methods and wording to be used when certifying infant deaths; * To develop a list of potential stressors or possible external causes of death that should be identified and reported on the death certificate and/or within a medical examiner/coroner office database. This paper was electronically posted for NAME member review and comment for a period of 30 days. The paper was further revised based on member comments and then submitted to the NAME board of directors in the fall of 2005 prior to the annual meeting. This text of this paper was officially approved and endorsed by the NAME board of directors on October 14, 2005, at the annual meeting in Los Angeles, CA.

Infant lung samples were obtained at autopsy by medical examiner pathologists in five areas of the United States regardless of the cause of death. Lung sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Sixty cases were evaluated for the study. The four sections examined for each case were taken from the anterior and posterior aspects of the right and left upper lung lobes. Histologic sections were scored for the extent of alveolar hemorrhage using the following scoring system: 0, no hemorrhage; 1, focal hemorrhage but less than score 2; 2, patchy, focal hemorrhage not present throughout the section; 3, focal hemorrhage more extensive than score 2 but not meeting the criteria for score 4; 4, patchy focal hemorrhage distributed throughout the section; 5, more extensive hemorrhage than score 4 but not meeting the criteria for score 6; 6, diffuse hemorrhage throughout the section. Total possible scores ranged from 0 to 24. Intraalveolar hemorrhage was observed in 40 cases. Overall, the mean score for the 60 cases was 5 (range, 0-24); for the 40 cases with hemorrhage, 7 (range, 1-24). Scores were compared with other descriptive variables like cause of death; interval between onset of fatal events and death; whether resuscitation was attempted; and pulmonary macrophage counts and hemosiderin scores reported in earlier studies of the same cases. In none of the 60 cases was death attributed to pulmonary hemorrhage or hemosiderosis. Pulmonary hemorrhage tends to be common among deceased infants; more prominent when there is medical treatment or resuscitation during the agonal period; infant position may partially explain distribution of hemorrhage in lungs; postmortem interval may exacerbate pulmonary hemorrhage; and infant deaths caused by acute idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage (AIPH) or pulmonary hemorrhage/hemosiderosis (PHH) probably are rare. Specific case definitions for AIPH and PHH are needed, along with further study of these conditions.

The 1992 Senate Report #102-104 and House Report #102-121 recommended that the Interagency Panel on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) review and establish an updated standard death scene investigation protocol for scene investigation of unexplained infant deaths. As a result of the recommendation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Reproductive Health (DRH), and the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) organized a workshop entitled "Workshop on Guidelines for Scene Investigation of Sudden Unexplained Infant Deaths," which was held in Rockville, Maryland, on July 12-13, 1993. This article outlines the proceedings of the workshop. The goal of the workshop was to gather information and ideas that could be used to establish guidelines which could be useful in developing a model death scene investigation protocol. It was not a goal of this workshop to produce a specific protocol during the workshop. The workshop was successful in generating a variety of information and ideas concerning the desirable attributes of a protocol including essential items of data, identification of certain training needs, specification of procedures for data collection, reporting, and quality assurance, and proposed strategies for implementation. This information can now be considered by the HHS Interagency SIDS Panel to develop specific guidelines for developing a standard scene investigation protocol for sudden unexplained infant deaths.

A 12-mm spherical thyroglossal duct cyst at the base of the tongue caused the death of a four-week-old infant by obstructing the glottis. Previous case reports of this rare entity indicate that the supine position aggravates airway obstruction. Proof of a cause and effect relationship between such a cyst and death is difficult in the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) age group because of nonspecific findings associated with asphyxia and SIDS. Autopsy should include a thorough examination of the oral cavity to detect such lesions.