APPARENT LIFE-THREATENING EVENTS AND INFANT HOLDING PRACTICES

Two 4 week old infants are reported who suffered apparent life threate ning events (ALTE) while being cradled in adult arms. The events, whic h could be reproduced under controlled circumstances, were not associa ted with any struggling by the infants. Alteration of infant holding p ractices in both cases resulted in cessation of the events. A case of cardiorespiratory arrest during breast feeding in an 8 week old infant that was unnoticed by her mother is also described. These cases sugge st that certain infants may not respond normally to airway occlusion w hile being held or nursed, and show that careful study of the events s urrounding ALTE may reveal contributing environmental factors. If ALTE occur around feeding time, observation of how caretakers place the in fant during and after feeding may be informative.