Although there is some controversy that pacifier use may reduce the risk of sudden death in the infant (SMSL), seems to be more demonstrated every day, and we see this in a new review of studies awarded at the last Research Congress of the SATSE Nursing Union.
The study was carried out by the midwife resident at the General Hospital 'La Mancha Centro' in Alcázar (Ciudad Real) Sergio J. Amores, together with the nurses María Victoria and María Ángeles Martínez, a systematic review to determine whether the use of Pacifier during sleep is considered a protective factor in sudden infant death.
For this, they tracked numerous databases (Cochrane, Pubmed, Cuiden, Cuidatge and Enfispo), in which they obtained results in eighteen articles, from which finally seven were selected and analyzed and from which the conclusions were drawn.
But, Why would the pacifier act as a protector of sudden death?
Although its mechanism of action is not yet well known, previous studies seem to demonstrate different facts related to the decrease in the risk of SIDS. For example, the pacifier increases the microdespertares, favors that the tongue stays in previous position, slightly increases the levels of carbon dioxide and the muscular tone of the airway.
Also, the pacifier increases the production of immunoglobulin A (IgA), by non-nutritive suction, and its presence in the mouth prevents total obstruction of the mouth and nose on the mattress, a tamponade that would cause sudden death.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics recommends the use of the pacifier at least during the first year of life as a measure to reduce the risk of SIDS (excluding the first few days, when it is necessary to establish breastfeeding without interference), and recent studies have revealed two very important facts that we have been commenting on the blog:
- Using a pacifier while the baby sleeps decreases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
- In addition, its use does not decrease the duration of breastfeeding.
The AEP recalls that the pacifier should not be discouraged when breastfeeding is well established, usually from the month of life, at which age the risk of sudden infant death syndrome begins.
Another of the tips is to remove the pacifier after one year of life, to avoid other adverse effects of the pacifier, once the risk period of SIDS has passed and the child has a lower need for suction.
In this way it would be achieved good use of the pacifier so that it does not affect breastfeeding or produce other problems when the child grows up, and their benefits would be exploited as sudden infant death reduction factor.
