About
In 2022, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death, or SUID, became the second most common cause of infant mortality in the US, accounting for 3,700 deaths. It was only exceeded by congenital anomalies (N=3,990) as a cause of infant death and surpassed prematurity/shortened gestation (2,957) for the first time.
As infant deaths have been subjected to increasing investigation and scrutiny, the number of deaths classified as SIDS, a subcategory of SUID that identifies completely inexplicable deaths, has dramatically fallen. Indeed with enhanced death scene investigations, the CDC has determined that “accidental suffocation or strangulation in a sleep environment” is the most common cause of preventable death in infants.
Major racial disparities exist within these statistics with rates for non-Hispanic Black infants being more than twice those for either White or Hispanic infants. A recent report from the CDC SUID case registry study (which PA contributes to) showed that Black infants accounted for 37% of all SUID deaths but represented only 15% of US live births. Socioeconomic factors such as poverty (non-Hispanic Black Americans are more than twice as likely to live in poverty), housing insecurity (homelessness is 50% more likely among non-Hispanic Black families with children), and decreased access to health care and education make SUID rates a dramatic reflection of the social determinants of health in the US. If a pregnant Black woman has private insurance, has a greater than HS education, is married, receives first trimester care, and attends greater than 9 prenatal visits, her risk of her infant succumbing to a SUID death plummets, almost reaching that of a white, non-Hispanic woman. It is important to remember, however, that although the non-Hispanic Black mother is at greatest risk to have a SUID, no racial group is immune from this reality.
The message is clear. We know that evidence based strategies exist that dramatically reduce the risks of SUID. For obstetricians and family physicians, discuss infant sleep safety during each prenatal visit. For nursing colleagues, lactation counselors, and family support community agencies discuss infant sleep safety at all encounters. For primary care providers who care for newborn infants, do the same at every visit during the first year of life. All of us working together can and do make a difference through anticipatory guidance and addressing the barriers that contribute to non-compliance with safe sleep recommendations. LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
As infant deaths have been subjected to increasing investigation and scrutiny, the number of deaths classified as SIDS, a subcategory of SUID that identifies completely inexplicable deaths, has dramatically fallen. Indeed with enhanced death scene investigations, the CDC has determined that “accidental suffocation or strangulation in a sleep environment” is the most common cause of preventable death in infants.
Major racial disparities exist within these statistics with rates for non-Hispanic Black infants being more than twice those for either White or Hispanic infants. A recent report from the CDC SUID case registry study (which PA contributes to) showed that Black infants accounted for 37% of all SUID deaths but represented only 15% of US live births. Socioeconomic factors such as poverty (non-Hispanic Black Americans are more than twice as likely to live in poverty), housing insecurity (homelessness is 50% more likely among non-Hispanic Black families with children), and decreased access to health care and education make SUID rates a dramatic reflection of the social determinants of health in the US. If a pregnant Black woman has private insurance, has a greater than HS education, is married, receives first trimester care, and attends greater than 9 prenatal visits, her risk of her infant succumbing to a SUID death plummets, almost reaching that of a white, non-Hispanic woman. It is important to remember, however, that although the non-Hispanic Black mother is at greatest risk to have a SUID, no racial group is immune from this reality.
The message is clear. We know that evidence based strategies exist that dramatically reduce the risks of SUID. For obstetricians and family physicians, discuss infant sleep safety during each prenatal visit. For nursing colleagues, lactation counselors, and family support community agencies discuss infant sleep safety at all encounters. For primary care providers who care for newborn infants, do the same at every visit during the first year of life. All of us working together can and do make a difference through anticipatory guidance and addressing the barriers that contribute to non-compliance with safe sleep recommendations. LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
- Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Disparities in Infant Mortality in the US, 1999-2022, JAMA Pediatr 2025; 179;(3):344-346 doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.6200
- Lambert ABE, Parks SE, Cottengim C, Faulkner M, Hauck FR, Shapiro-Mendoza CK, Sleep-Related Infant Suffocation Deaths Attributable to Soft Bedding, Overlay and Wedging, Pediatrics, 2019 May;143(5):e20183408
- Lambert ABE, Shapiro-Mendoza CK, Parks SE, Cottengim C, Faulkner M, Hauck FR. Characteristics of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths on Shared and Non-shared Sleep Surfaces. Pediatrics. 2024;153(3) https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-061984
- Creamer J, Shrider EA, Burns K, Chen F. Poverty in the United States;2021.Washington, DC:U.S. Census Bureau;2022
- Henry M, de Sousa T, Roddey C, Gayen S, Bednar TJ. The 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Part 1: Point-in-time Estimates of Homelessness. Washington, DC: US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development; 2021
- Johnson, DL, Carlo WA, Fazlur Rahman AKM,Tindal R, Trulove SG,Watt MJ, Travers CP. Health Insurance and Differences in Infant Mortality Rates in the US; JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Oct 13;6(10)
- Bigby, JA, Anthone J, Hsu R, Fiorentini C, Rosenbach M. Recommendations for Maternal Health and Infant Quality Improvement in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, December 18, 2020, Submitted to the Division of Quality and Health Outcomes, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Goals
The ISS Committee, working in collaboration with the Executive Director or her representative and the Chapter President, is charged to:
- Establish and present to the Board an agenda that promotes and supports the previously stated purpose of the Committee: to promote national AAP guidelines for infant safe sleep which will be updated on a yearly basis (with Board approval);
- Facilitate relevant educational opportunities both within and outside of the Chapter on promoting infant safe sleep messaging and guidelines;
- Work with Chapter leadership, (PA) AAP members and community organizations, both within and outside the healthcare arena, to promote infant safe sleep messaging and guidelines.
Leadership
Meet the Infant Safe Sleep Committee Chair:
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Eileen Tyrala, MD, FAAP
Chair |
Dr. Eileen Tyrala is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed her Pediatric Residency at St Louis Children’s Hospital and Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center in NYC and her Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine fellowship at St Louis Children’s Hospital. She has served as director of Neonatology at Temple University Hospital and as Director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at St Christopher’s Hospital for Children. She currently is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the Sydney Kimmel School of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University where she teaches in the first and second year medical school curriculum. She is the Medical Director for the National Cribs for Kids Program and serves as the Chair of the PA AAP’s Infant Safe Sleep Committee. She was instrumental in the passage in 2010 of Act 73 in PA that required that all families receive education on infant safe sleep prior to their discharge from their birthing center.
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Membership |
Why Should I Join? |
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The Infant Safe Sleep Committee welcomes PA AAP members to contribute their perspective to the Chapter's safe sleep advocacy efforts and education around sleep products.
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PA-based providers have the opportunity to educate their patient's families, policymakers and fellow practitioners on the scope of this issue, its impact on young children's safety and the steps we can take as a community.
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