To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: AAP: Infant Deformational Plagiocephaly Worsened By Long Periods in Car Seats, Swings and Bouncy Seats URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/23DE3A.htm Doctor's Guide November 5, 2003
By Jill Taylor NEW ORLEANS, LA -- November 5, 2003 -- Infants who spend extended periods of time in devices such as car seats, carriers, swings and bouncy seats may develop exacerbated deformational plagiocephaly, according to a study presented here on November 1st at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition. The recent increase in the incidence of plagiocephaly, a condition that is associated with sleeping on the back, is commonly believed to be linked to the AAP's 'Back to Sleep' campaign, in which parents are encouraged to ensure that infants sleep in their back as protection against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). However, evidence suggests that other factors may significantly contribute to plagiocephaly. To report the amount of time children with deformational plagiocephaly spent in devices which provide head rest and document related cranial deformities, Timothy R. Littlefield, MS, of Cranial Technologies, Inc., in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, and colleagues performed a three-year study of 636 children presenting with deformational plagiocephaly at a single centre. Overall, 55.6% of the infants spent less than 1.5 hours in these devices, 28.6% spent 1.5 to 4 hours and 14.8% spent more than 4 hours a day in them. In addition, 5.7% slept in one of these devices during their first several months of life, frequently for medical reasons, notably reflux disease. The problem, said Mr. Littlefield, is that infants are sleeping on a firm mattress for several hours out of the day and additional pressure to the head is added during waking hours by a car seat, swing or bouncy chair, often resulting in additional deformation, such as a 'squaring' of the parietal-occipital region and compensatory growth on the contralateral side. Normal use of car seats, carriers, swings and bouncy seats is not a concern. However, caution is warranted for infants who spend extended periods of time in these devices, particularly those allowed to sleep in the devices for comfort, or conditions such as reflux or congestion. When recommending the use of a device as an alternative to a crib for medical reasons, paediatricians should educate parents about deformational plagiocephaly and instruct them about early warning signs. Although most parents recognise a problem before their child is two months old, the age that children are usually presented for treatment is approximately six to eight months. "At that age, changing or repositioning their home environment isn't going to be effective," Mr. Littlefield told Doctor's Guide. "If you catch this at a very young age you can be very successful in either arresting the development of it or actually getting the head to round out." [Study title: Infant Car Seats, Carriers, Bouncy Seats and Swings: Their Role in Deformational Plagiocephaly.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.