Assigning cause for sudden unexpected infant death.

We have reached a conundrum in assigning cause of death for sudden unexpected infant deaths. We summarize the discordant perspectives and approaches and how they have occurred, and recommend a pathway toward improved consistency. This lack of consistency affects pediatricians and other health care professionals, scientific investigators, medical examiners and coroners, law enforcement agencies, families, and support or advocacy groups.

Sudden and unexpected death in early life: proceedings of a symposium in honor of Dr. Henry F. Krous.

Reported here are the proceedings of a symposium given in honor of Dr. Henry F. Krous upon his retirement as Clinical Professor of Pathology and Pediatrics at the University of California Schools of Medicine, and as Director of the San Diego SIDS/SUDC Research Project.

Brain biomarkers for identifying excited delirium as a cause of sudden death.

Excited delirium (ED) syndrome is a serious medical condition associated with acute onset of agitated violent behavior that often culminates in a sudden unexplained death. While the contribution of restraint, struggle and the use of conductive energy devices (CED) to the cause and manner of death raise controversy, a CNS dysfunction of dopamine signaling may underlie the delirium and fatal autonomic dysfunction. We conducted a mortality review for a case series of ninety excited delirium deaths and present results on the association of a 2-protein biomarker signature.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate withdrawal syndrome.

Study Objective: Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) withdrawal syndrome is increasingly encountered in emergency departments among patients presenting for health care after discontinuing frequent GHB use. This report describes the characteristics, course, and symptoms of this syndrome.

Methods: A retrospective review of poison center records identified 7 consecutive cases in which patients reporting excessive GHB use were admitted for symptoms consistent with a sedative withdrawal syndrome.

Fatal automobile crash caused by cerebral toxoplasmosis.

An unusual case of cerebral toxoplasmosis leading to a fatal vehicular crash is presented. Massive intracerebral hemorrhage, a rare complication of cerebral toxoplasmosis in persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused sudden onset of increased intracranial pressure that led to loss of control of the vehicle and an ensuing fatal traffic crash.