Sudden Death in Infants Sleeping on Polystyrene-Filled Cushions

Abstract
Infants are at risk for both the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation. On postmortem examination, however, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other without information from the scene of death. Healthy infants are assumed to be able to turn their heads and, if not otherwise restrained, to obtain fresh air. We assessed this assumption in an investigation of infant deaths that occurred during sleep on cushions filled with polystyrene beads.