Fan Use May Cut SIDS Risk

     Using a fan while a baby is sleeping appears to significantly cut the risk of SIDS, according to new research.

     The study, which is being published in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that using a fan cut the risk of SIDS by 72%. The use of a fan in a room with a temperature higher than 69 degrees Fahrenheit was associated with a 94% decreased risk of SIDS compared with no fan use.

     The lead researcher in the latest study explained that fan use increases air movement in a baby's bedroom that could protect babies from re-breathing carbon dioxide.

     "It cannot be emphasized strongly enough, however, that there is no substitute for the most effective means known to reduce the risk of SIDS: always placing infants for sleep on their backs," [the] Special Assistant for SIDS Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a statement.

     Since 2005, it's also been recommended that infants use a pacifier. In 2005, [the lead researcher] released research from the same group of women used in the fan study, showing use of a pacifier cut the risk of SIDS by 90%. That finding helped back up recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics on adding pacifiers to the list of recommendations to cut SIDS risks.

     The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and Kaiser Permanente.

Dooren, Jennifer Corbett. "Study Suggests Fan Use Cuts SIDS Risk in Babies." The Wall Street Journal October 7, 2008.

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