Objective: Sécurité naissance-Naître ensemble des Pays-de-la-Loire network organized a survey to evaluate the incidence rate of early neonatal sudden death or near death syndrome for the full term and healthy presume neonates.
Method: Maternity wards are declared apparent life-threatening events and deaths from 2001 to 2006. Certain cases and probable cases were defined. Incidence rate have been calculated with births in maternity wards during period...
Results: Eleven apparent life-threatening events are observed with 7 deaths during five and half years. The incidence rate was one apparent life-threatening events for 26,000 births and one death for 40,000 births, with certain cases for 41,000 births and probable cases for 71,000 births. All kind of maternities were involved. Nothing very special could be noticed about pregnancies and deliveries. Five times on eight well known cases, the newborn was in skin to skin contact with heir mother at the moment of the event, once in her arms and once in the delivery room, far from the mother, at three minutes of life. Twice on four well known cases, newborns were lying on their belly. A baby has been considered as dead at the maternity, ten have been transferred to care unit, and six died in the ward.
Conclusion: Without systematic survey in France, it's not easy to say if the incidence of this type of event have increased, and if their happening is linked with skin-to-skin practices at the birth. In Sécurité naissance-Naître ensemble des Pays-de-la-Loire from September 2006, prevent measures have been suggested in all maternities in the recommendation on care to normal newborns. A systematic study with a standard questionary has been organized in region area to notice apparent life-threatening events and neonatal sudden deaths, and we could hope a systematic prospective survey in France.