# Newborn Death

- Category: chronic
- Review status: reviewed (every claim checked against a document named on this page)
- Sources: ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class AD95.00 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care · Stillbirth - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557533/
- Verified date: 2026-08

## Verified against

- No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

## Treatment metadata

- No drug therapy in primary care (Recognition & Referral)

## Complete treatment card

```text
NEWBORN DEATH
Sources: ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class AD95.00 -
         condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary
         care · Stillbirth - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf -
         https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557533/
Review status: REVIEWED against the source listed above  (2026-08)

IS IT THIS? - reference only, to read alongside your own examination
  SYMPTOMS - what the patient reports (5)
    - The typical case is an infant found unresponsive during a sleep period, aged 21 days to 9
      months  [loss of consciousness]
    - Premature birth, male sex, and birth weight below 2500 g are nonmodifiable risk factors
    - A prior sibling death from it carries about a 4-fold higher risk, though absolute risk stays
      low
    - Unsafe sleep surfaces, prone or side sleeping, and smoke exposure are modifiable risk factors
    - About 95% of cases had at least one risk factor, and 78% had at least two
  SIGNS - what you find (3)
    - Frothy fluid from the nose or mouth may be found at the scene
    - Gravity-dependent lividity helps establish the infant's body position at death
    - Trauma and facial petechiae should be absent; their presence raises concern for suffocation
      [suffocation]
  TESTS (5)
    - A full autopsy within 24 hours finds a definite cause in only about 15% of suspected cases
    - Metabolic screening covers acylcarnitine profile, carnitine, plasma amino acids, urine organic
      acids, and lactate/pyruvate
    - Thymus weight under 15 g or marked cortical lymphocyte loss argues against the diagnosis
    - Fatty change in the liver on autopsy should prompt a look for an inherited metabolic disorder
    - Scene investigation with caregiver interviews and a doll reenactment is a required part of the
      workup
  IF NOT THIS - what else fits (6)
    - Suffocation from soft bedding accounts for most accidental sleep-related infant deaths, about
      14% of cases
    - Unexplained fractures or bleeding without an adequate accidental cause point to nonaccidental
      trauma
    - Cardiac channelopathies such as long QT syndrome account for about 10% of prior sudden-death
      cases
    - Fatty acid oxidation disorders, especially MCAD deficiency, are the leading metabolic cause
    - Sepsis can show only nonspecific signs like apnea or temperature instability before sudden
      decline
    - Structural heart disease or a vascular malformation causing bleeding are other mimics
  Source  StatPearls "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome" - disease-level clinical article
  Status  traced to the source above

1. NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (RECOGNITION & REFERRAL)[1st line]
   Adult    Newborn death requires compassionate family support, formal death certification, and
            medical reporting according to national guidelines. Perform a sensitive clinical
            assessment to determine the cause of death, review antenatal and perinatal risk factors,
            and offer bereavement support. Refer for post-mortem examination or medico-legal
            investigation if the death was sudden, unexplained, or suspicious. Provide guidance on
            lactation suppression and maternal postnatal healthcare. - Refer
   Peds     Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is
            implied.
   Source   No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
   Why      Newborn death requires compassionate family support, formal death certification, and
            medical reporting according to national guidelines. Perform a sensitive clinical
            assessment to determine the cause of death, review antenatal and perinatal risk factors,
            and offer bereavement support. Refer for post-mortem examination or medico-legal
            investigation if the death was sudden, unexplained, or suspicious. Provide guidance on
            lactation suppression and maternal postnatal healthcare.
   Caution  Unexplained or sudden newborn death may require medico-legal notification or post-mortem
            referral depending on the circumstances.
            No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and
            referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.
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