Concern about the Diagnosis of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Current Death Investigation System

Abstract

Because their contents would be utilized in many parts of society, medical diagnosis should be accurate and veracious especially for dead body. Autopsy records are one of the representative form of medical diagnosis determined by forensic pathologists, which are superior to the certificates for postmortem inspection in their completeness. But autopsy has its own limitation because of morphologic and biochemical changes in postmortem status and diagnostic criteria mainly based on clinical situations. Also, various diseases with only functional impairments or borderline/ambiguous changes make the forensic diagnosis difficult, for example, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Even though numerous researchers with various backgrounds have been dedicated to clarifying the nature of SIDS, it seems too early to use this term in autopsy diagnosis in general. A thorough investigation of the death scene, the family dynamics, and the medical history should be guaranteed and the forensic pathologists should agree for the definition and diagnostic criteria of SIDS based on scientific knowledge. Key Words: Sudden infant death syndrome · Autopsy · Postmortem examination · Diagnosis