婴儿猝死综合征的法医学鉴定

近20多年来,婴儿猝死综合征（sudden infant death syndrome,SIDS）一直是西方发达国家医学界尤其是法医学和儿科学领域研究的热点。目前,随着对SIDS广泛而深入的研究,对其病因、发病特点、危险因素以及致病机制等都有了更明确的认识。虽说近年来SIDS的发病率已有明显下降,在欧美洲、澳洲等发达国家,SIDS仍然是导致1个月到1岁婴儿死亡的首要原因。在亚洲国家和地区,尤其是发展中国家SIDS的报道很少见。本文通过总结文献并结合美国马里兰州近20年（1990—2006）来对SIDS的调查研究资料,介绍SIDS的发展历史、研究现状和新的发展趋势,并对SIDS法医学鉴定程序及鉴定要素进行讨论。

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and its forensic investigation

During the past two decades tremendous efforts have been made by the medical community,especially in the fields of forensic medicine and pediatrics,to better understand the etiology,epidemiology and pathophysiology of SIDS. There have been many SIDS reports from developed countries,but few from developing Asian countries. Despite a recent significant decrease in the incidence of SIDS in many developed countries,SIDS continues to be the most common cause of post-neonatal infant death in these countries. This article analyzes the SIDS data(1990-2006) from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland,USA,along with review of the literature with regard to the history,epidemiological and pathophysiological characteristics of SIDS,as well as the recent advances in SIDS research. The changing trends in the diagnosis of SIDS and current challenges to its forensic investigation are also discussed.