Unexpected Death In Childhood

This volume covers aspects of sudden infant and early childhood death, ranging from issues with parental grief, to the most recent theories of brainstem neurotransmitters. It also deals with the changes that have occurred over time with the definitions of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), SUDI (sudden unexpected death in infancy) and SUDIC (sudden unexpected death in childhood). The text will be indispensable for SIDS researchers, SIDS organisations, paediatric pathologists, forensic pathologists, paediatricians and families, in addition to residents in training programs that involve paediatrics. It will also be of use to other physicians, lawyers and law enforcement officials who deal with these cases, and should be a useful addition to all medical examiner/forensic, paediatric and pathology departments, hospital and university libraries on a global scale. Given the marked changes that have occurred in the epidemiology and understanding of SIDS and sudden death in the very young over the past decade, a text such as this is very timely and is also urgently needed.

This publication reviews medicolegal investigation of sudden, unexpected pediatric deaths, focusing on systems and procedures in the United States and those deaths which remain incompletely understood or entirely unexplained. It discusses the evolution of our understanding and practice in the area of sudden, unexpected pediatric death investigation, covering the changing philosophies and medical theories as to causation and changing investigative and certification strategies. Procedural guidance for investigation, autopsy and ancillary testing, certification and reporting, and key considerations for prevention, research and working with family members and other professional team members are provided.The path to production of this publication began in 2016 when the National Association of Medical Examiners received a scientific grant from the SUDC Foundation called "Sudden Death in Pediatrics: Consensus for Investigation, Certification, Research Direction and Family Needs" to convene, in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, an expert panel to identify and discuss the diverse issues and limitations surrounding these deaths and build a foundation for national consensus. The combined effort of a panel of medical examiners, pediatricians, and federal agency representatives, representing the diverse interests of death investigation, autopsy performance, certification, clinical subspecialties (pediatrics, neurology, cardiology, child abuse, injury prevention, infectious diseases, genetics, and metabolic diseases), family needs, prevention, and epidemiology, culminated in this publication.

For families who have experienced the death of a child, their private tragedy is all too often exacerbated by an inappropriate or incompetent professional response. For the professional charged with the responsibility of having to deal with unexpected child deaths, such as a pediatrician, a police officer, or social worker, this title offers guidance on how to respond adequately to this tragic event but also places the subject in a larger social context, examining the history, epidemiology, causes, and contributory factors surrounding the death of a child. The book also covers the prevalence and types of death, the role of the police in an unexpected child death, how to support families, how to undertake a serious case review, and how to prevent child deaths in the future. Part of the prestigious NSPCC Wiley Series in Safeguarding Children - The Multi-Professional Approach.

A scientifically rigorous, multidisciplinary approach to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, for practitioners, researchers and families alike.

This unique, comprehensive survey of virtually all aspects of sudden death in infants and childhood will be an essential source of reference for pathologists, clinicians and lawyers who deal with such cases. Individual sections deal in detail with deaths due to inflicted and non-inflicted injuries and to natural diseases. This new edition includes 1200 new references, 300 new illustrations and an extensively revised chapter on sudden infant death syndrome. The intentional injury chapter has additional material on head trauma, the biomechanics of injury, neonaticide, suicide and subtle and unusual trauma. The chapter on non-intentional injury has also been expanded to more accurately reflect its importance as a cause of death. Deaths in the first week of life are also covered. This new edition also covers the full range of natural causes of death, and their pathological investigation undertaken in light of advances in our understanding of genetic susceptibility and pathophysiology.

The investigation of sudden or unexplained death of children represents a unique medical and forensic area of study. Children have unique anatomic and functional characteristics that must be recognized and understood by the medical investigator. Further complicating this process is the fact that the anatomic structure, composition and function of various organs and organ systems in the pediatric population change throughout the developmental stages of childhood. The disease processes, reactions to trauma and risk factors for accidental death and homicide change from infancy through adolescence. Forensic Pathology of Infancy and Childhood provides an authoritative, comprehensive reference text devoted to the medicolegal investigation of sudden unexpected death in children. With contributions from internationally renowned experts, individual chapters focus on specific unique causes and organ systems with detailed accounts of the changes in fatal diseases, risk factors of causes of sudden death, and responses to fatal trauma that occur as a child grows from neonatal stage through infancy, toddlerhood, childhood and adolescence. This text is an essential reference resource for forensic pathologists, medical examiner offices, pediatric pathologists, pediatric hospitals, anatomic pathologists and those in training as well as those in related legal professions.

Determining the cause of death in children and young adults can pose considerable challenges. Professor Byard provides for the first time a complete overview of pathological aspects of sudden death in the young, from before birth to middle adult life. Highly illustrated with more than 800 colour figures, this third edition contains new sections on sexual abuse, pregnancy-related deaths and rare natural diseases, as well as expanded coverage of unexpected death in young adults up to the age of 30 years. Chapters are organised by systems and cover all aspects of natural death, as well as accidents, suicides and homicides. Supported by extensive referencing and numerous tables, the book can also be used as a practical autopsy manual. An encyclopaedic overview and analysis of sudden death in the young, this is a key text for pediatric and forensic pathologists, pediatricians, and lawyers and physicians involved in medicolegal cases.

When we were on a No Girls Allowed! holiday, my daddy's heart stopped beating and I had to find help all by myself. He was very badly broken. Not even the ambulance people could help him... This honest, sensitive and beautifully illustrated picture book is designed to help explain the concept of death to children aged 3+. Written in Alex's own words, it is based on the real-life conversations that Elke Barber had with her then three-year-old son, Alex, after the sudden death of his father. The book provides reassurance and understanding to readers through clear and honest answers to the difficult questions that can follow the death of a loved one, and carries the invaluable message that it is okay to be sad, but it is okay to be happy, too.