Primary Care Perspectives: Episode 126 - Sleep-related Death in Infants Is Common and Preventable

In Philadelphia, sleep-related deaths (including SIDS, accidental suffocation, and unknown cause) are the second-highest cause of infant mortality, after prematurity. Two pediatricians, Roy Hoffman, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Fatality Review Program, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, who sees patients at a health department-run community health center (Health Center #6), and Stacey Kallem, MD, Director, Division of Maternal, Child, & Family Health at Philadelphia Department of Public Health, provide an overview, including: incidence and factors; racial-ethnic disparity; a review of barriers to safe sleep and ideas for effective counseling for prevention; ways to help parents get support, including for lactation and smoking cessation; genomic sequencing and other research into medical causes for sleep-related deaths; practical tips to share with parents; and more. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2022 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.