Unintentional Suffocations Among Infants Up in Recent Years

By Kelly Young

Edited by Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

The rate of infant mortality due to unintentional suffocation more than doubled in the U.S. from 1999 to 2015, according to a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics.

Using CDC data, researchers found that infant mortality caused by unintentional suffocation increased from 12 to 28 per 100,000 people during that period. Increases were observed in all demographic groups. The increase was driven by a growing number of suffocations and strangulations in bed.

The authors conclude: "The observed increase is likely associated with multiple factors, including use of unsafe products and improved differentiation between suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome in death certificate reporting. Regardless of the cause, our data indicate more than 1100 preventable infant deaths occurred in 2015, a statistic that warrants attention and action."