降低嬰兒猝死症發生的危險－－執行安全睡眠措施

Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome through Safe Sleep Practices

嬰兒猝死症（sudden infant death syndrome，SIDS）是小於一歲的嬰兒在毫無預警下不明原因的突然死亡。在台灣，雖然SIDS人數從1997到2003年持續下降，但在所有嬰兒死亡人數中，SIDS所佔的比例有逐年增加的趨勢。雖然SIDS的原因不明，但研究結果已歸納出SIDS的危險因素，並可藉由護理人員的衛教，降低SIDS的發生率。本文主要針對SIDS的發生做詳細說明，並強力建議護理人員遵守美國小兒科學會（American Academy of Pediatrics，AAP）的建議，以降低SIDS發生的危險。AAP在2005年提出預防SIDS的方式，強調嬰兒採仰睡姿勢（勿側睡）、在睡眠時間使用奶嘴、勿在嬰兒床放置不必要的柔軟物件、勿與成人睡同床，並強調對次要健康照顧者以及醫護人員加強SIDS教育。

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained sudden death of an infant under one year of age. In Taiwan, although the number of SIDS cases decreased between 1997 and 2003, the ratio for the number of such cases to infant mortality has been consistently increasing. Even though the cause of SIDS is unknown, risk factors have been identified in the literature on the subject. Nurses may help in reducing the risk of SIDS by educating parents about the risk factors. The purpose of this paper is to describe SIDS and to recommend nurses to implement the new recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to reduce the risk of SIDS. Released in 2005, these emphasize the importance of the prone position, the use of a pacifier during sleep, and the dangers of using soft bedding and of bed sharing. Side position is no longer recommended as a rational alternative of prone position. The recommendations also indicate the need to educate secondary caregivers and health care providers about SIDS.