AAP Recommends New Term For Brief, Unexplained Events In Infants With No Underlying Health Problems

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By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The death of a child, especially the death of a child from a mysterious medical cause, is devastating.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is the professional organization that represents the doctors who are most often in the situation of helping families deal with this. They also face similar frustrations.

Now the organization has released its first clinical practice guideline for infants less than one year old who have experienced a brief resolved unexplained event.

The group of conditions includes respiratory changes, such as when an infant stops breathing, or an altered level of consciousness.

In their guidelines, they point out certain symptoms that should raise concerns: a bluish color, absent, decreased, or irregular breathing, marked change in tone and altered level of consciousness. Not only are they issuing comments about symptoms to worry about, but they are stressing the need to research these issues.