Target Audience

DMU faculty, staff, students, residents, and the medical community.

Description

Interdisciplinary grand rounds are crucial in healthcare because they bring together professionals from various specialties to discuss complex cases, share insights, and enhance patient care. By involving diverse perspectives, these rounds ensure a holistic approach to patient management, where all aspects of a patient’s condition and treatment options are considered. This collaborative setting promotes effective communication across departments, leading to more coordinated care, fewer errors, and better patient outcomes. The multidisciplinary nature of these rounds supports more informed decision-making, especially for complex cases that require input from multiple specialties. By focusing on patient-centered care, these rounds ensure that the care plan aligns with the patient’s values, preferences, and overall well-being.

Educational Need

Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) is a rare and underrecognized cause of death in children over 12 months of age that remains unexplained even after a thorough investigation, including a complete autopsy, death scene analysis, and clinical history review. Despite its devastating impact, many healthcare students and professionals are unfamiliar with SUDC, its diagnostic criteria, and its implications for families and the medical community.

According to the SUDC Foundation, approximately 500 children in the U.S. were affected by sudden unexplained death in 2023. Given that SUDC often occurs in seemingly healthy children and currently lacks known causes, predictive markers, or preventative strategies, it is critical for clinicians to develop awareness of this condition. Understanding how SUDC is identified, the role of the medical examiner or coroner, and the importance of comprehensive post-mortem evaluations can better prepare future clinicians to engage in compassionate communication with families and support ongoing efforts in research and advocacy.

Learning Objectives

1. Define Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC).
2. Discuss the epidemiology of SUDC.
3. Differentiate SUDC from Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.
4. Describe the role of medical professionals in providing support and medical care to families after the sudden and unexpected death of a child.
5. Review the resources available for professionals and families through the SUDC Foundation.

Speaker

Erin Bowen, MD, FAAP
Vice President, Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Foundation

Dr. Bowen graduated from medical school at University College Cork in Cork, Ireland, and received her bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College. She is currently a pediatrician at Children’s Medical Associates in Ansonia, CT, and has over 10 years of experience in the medical field.

Dr. Bowen lost her son Conor in 2016 when he was just 17 months old. She is an active member of the SUDC community through her work with “Kisses for Conor” to spread kindness in Conor’s memory and raise awareness of SUDC. Dr. Bowen is also a constant source of support for other SUDC families through the Foundation’s Family Support Facebook page as well as personal outreach. She presented on SUDC at Yale School of Medicine’s Pediatric Grand Rounds Lecture Series.

Dr. Bowen is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), where she serves on the Section on Child Death Review and Prevention and previously held the position of Assistant District Coordinator for medical students, residents, and fellowship trainees. She was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in recognition of teaching medical students.

In addition to being an advocate for the SUDC community, Dr. Bowen has dedicated herself to improving the investigation of sudden unexpected deaths in infants and young children through the “Sudden Death in Pediatrics: Consensus for Investigation, Certification, Research Direction and Family Needs” project. This project, funded through a grant from the SUDC Foundation to the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) to work collaboratively with the AAP, is working to establish national practice guidelines for investigations, research needs, and the sensitive care of families affected by SUDC and sudden, unexpected deaths of infants and young children.

Session proposals are now being accepted for the DMU Grand Rounds series! Have you encountered an interesting clinical case, seen a patient with a unique history, condition, and/or treatment protocol, or been involved with interprofessional management that improves patient care and treatment outcomes? If so, you're invited to help build the series by submitting a session proposal! In addition to the rare and unique, cases of more common conditions are also acceptable, and proposals from external members of the broader healthcare community are welcomed and encouraged. Please click the button below to learn more about the series and access the submission form.