Specific pathological diagnoses (29 cases)
| Diagnosis | Number |
|---|---|
| Asphyxia from vomit (5 as a result of alleged seizures) | 6 |
| Asphyxia from foreign body or accident | 5 |
| Other respiratory cause (bronchitis, pneumonitis, bronchopneumonia, and bronchodysplasia) | 6 |
| Cardiac (2 myocarditis, 1 patent ductus arteriosus, and 1 cardiac asystole) | 4 |
| Other causes | 8 |
Unusual features of some of these were: two infants who had lacerations in the throat; three with foreign bodies (coins, paper balls, and a mitten) in the upper airways or stomach, which the infant was considered to have grasped and eaten; and four children who were deemed to have died of bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, or patent ductus ateriosus who had taken normal feeds and were seen to be well and free from respiratory symptoms within two hours of death.