You have just arrived on the scene where an infant stopped breathing. You find a three-month-old child being held tightly by his
mother, who is sobbing uncontrollably. On examination, you find that the child is apneic and pulseless and has dependent lividity and early rigor mortis. There are no obvious signs of injury. Which of the following is the best course of action? A) Begin limited resuscitative measures, then contact medical control for orders to terminate resuscitation in the field.
B) Gently tell the mother that the baby is dead and that there is nothing that can be done for him; allow her to hold him.
C) Tell the mother that the baby is dead but that you cannot allow her to hold him until the police verify that no crime has been committed.
D) Begin CPR and continue BLS measures until you are inside the ambulance; notify the hospital that you are transporting a deceased SIDS infant.
It is best to continue life supporting efforts in the off chance that there is something that can be done or that there has been some human error in your assessment. It is also practical to remove the child from the mother in case there was some harm done to the child. Doing CPR will keep the situation under control rather than telling the mother that the child is dead since you are not a medical doctor and it is not within your limits to do so while help is on the way.
