title: Sudden twin infant death on the same day: a case report and review of the literature.
abstract: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a major contributor to infant mortality. The cause of death is unknown: suggested possibilities include cardiovascular disease, anaphylactic shock, and suffocation. The occurrence of simultaneous sudden infant death syndrome is uncommon, such cases being extremely rare in forensic pathologic practice. We report two 10-week-old male twins who appeared well at the time of their evening feeding, yet died while sleeping on their backs. Both infants had petechial hemorrhages on the visceral pleura, epicardial surface of the heart, and thymus gland. Microscopic examination revealed pulmonary edema, intra-alveolar hemorrhage, and minor lymphocytic infiltration, again in both infants. In this report, we discuss the risk factors for SIDS, which should be considered individually or in combination as possible causes of death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Pathology, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, 1347 West Guangfu Road, Shanghai, 200063, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Rongjun
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Shiying
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Ningguo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Donghua
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Yijiu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012890:Sleep; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016683:Supine Position