SUDC Insights


Understanding "Cause" and "Manner" of Death


Among other functions, the medical examiner or coroner is responsible for investigating sudden and unexpected deaths and completing a medicolegal death investigation. Part of that investigation will include completing a death certificate which includes information about the person who died as well as the investigation’s determined “cause” and "manner” of death for that individual. 

Understanding Genetics Part 3: Not All Genetic Testing is the Same – Understanding TSP, WES, and WGS


All "genetic testing" is not created equal. Genetic tests, just like the multitude of medical tests your physician may choose to order when you are sick, have their advantages and disadvantages as well as their indications and contraindications. If someone says. "I did genetic testing and it did not identify the cause of the death", it doesn't really convey valuable information or guidance to the receiver of that information. 

The SUDC Foundation Family Retreat – from an SUDC Parent and Board Member’s Perspective


We live in St Paul, Minnesota, with our 7-year-old daughter, Elianna. We had never heard of SUDC before November 2016 when we lost our 3-year-old daughter, Vivienne, suddenly and without explanation. Thankfully, several people reached out to us pointing us to the SUDC Foundation. We attended the SUDC Foundation’s first-ever Family Retreat in Naples, Florida, last year, where we found great comfort in spending time with other families like ours. 

Being a Critical Consumer of Medical Research: Understanding Association Versus Causation


You hear the rooster crow and then you see the sun rise. The next day, you hear the rooster crow again and the sun rises again. Days go by and this happens again and again. A young child may assume that the rooster is causing the sun to rise. As adults, and savvy students of science, we know better. The rooster crowing did not cause the sun to rise. The rooster crowing is associated with the sun rising. This is an old and often cited story to illustrate the difference between association and causation. And it’s a crucial topic to revisit when reviewing new research.

Spreading Scarlett's Sunshine


Last fall, a little girl with big, blue eyes, a smile that could light up a room and a personality to match her name left her mark on history when Scarlett’s Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act was introduced into Congress. And last week, her spirit toddled back through the halls of the Capitol when it was reintroduced to combat sudden, unexpected infant and child deaths.

The Story of SUDC

One of the most common questions when people first hear the term SUDC is “What is that?”  The second usually is “Is this something new?”

Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) is a category of death in children between the ages of 1 and 18 that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation, including an autopsy. A medical examiner or coroner could rule a child’s death SUDC when s/he completes a thorough evaluation and finds no other cause of death.

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    • 2018