NCJ Number
188654
Journal
Legal Medicine Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: August 2000 Pages: 106-109
Date Published
August 2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This case study examines autopsy findings following the sudden unexpected death in a 15-month-old boy in Japan; the infant had an extremely low birth weight and then experienced prolonged respiratory complications as a result of infantile respiratory distress syndrome.
Abstract
The autopsy revealed severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in the lungs, along with secondary pulmonary heart disease. The infant had received a tracheotomy to enable his survival. The autopsy concluded that the cause of death was acute cardiac and pulmonary failure due to severe BPD and not to mechanical asphyxia. The perilaryngeal lymph nodes were also significantly enlarged and closely surrounded the vagus bilaterally. The findings suggested that such cervical lymphadenopathy could have resulted in the mechanical compression of the vagus upon movement of the neck. Findings indicated that anatomical examination of the cervical portion of the vagus and its path may be of great significance when analyzing the cause of death in cases of sudden infant death. Photographs and 12 references (Author abstract modified)