FATAL HYPERNATREMIC DEHYDRATION IN EXCLUSIVELY BREAST-FED NEWBORN-INFANTS DUE TO MATERNAL LACTATION FAILURE

Infants who die of hypernatremic dehydration usually demonstrate at au topsy an underlying condition or disease process that predisposes to i ncreased water loss. In the absence of such findings, forensic concern s may focus sharply on parental or caretaker neglect as an underlying cause of death. In this case report, we describe unrecognized fatal hy pernatremic dehydration in two exclusively breast-fed neonates due sol ely to failure of maternal lactation. We further describe epidemiologi c and etiologic features of such deaths and discuss forensic difficult ies encountered in their certification.