Simple Precaution May Decrease Likelihood of SIDS

USA

A recent study by Kaiser Permanente indicates that using a fan to circulate air over sleeping babies decreases the likelihood of SIDS, (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) also known as crib death. For the past several decades, doctors and scientists have struggled to discover the cause of SIDS, but thus far have only achieved a list of factors which may help prevent the tragic occurrence. Placing babies to sleep on their backs, and keeping cribs free of excessive blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals are some of the measures that have helped decrease the frequency of SIDS in the US by 56% between 1992 and 2003. Doctors theorize that the addition of a fan may help prevent SIDS by ensuring that the carbon dioxide which babies exhale as they sleep is circulated away from their faces, rather than being re-inhaled. The study indicates that the presence of a fan, in addition to the previously known preventative measures, decreases the overall changes of SIDS by 72%. Doctors stress that all the precautions must be used together to achieve the optimal result, end encourage parents to consult their pediatricians before deciding to use a fan.