Could a standard hearing test help predict a newborn's risk for SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)? That's the tantalizing question raised by a new study, which examined the medical records of Rhode Island infants who had died of SIDS and found that compared to healthy infants, the SIDS babies had consistently scored lower on routine newborn hearing tests. "The lower scores may indicate injury to the delicate inner ear caused by a high-pressure surge of blood from the placenta that can enter the baby's ear during delivery," says lead study author Daniel Rubens, MD, a pediatric anesthesiologist at Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center in Seattle. The hair cells in the inner ear are responsible for hearing and balance, but some of them may also facilitate transmission of information about carbon dioxide levels to the brain to regulate breathing, which Dr. Rubens suspects may play a key role in SIDS. More research is needed to investigate this possible link; in the meantime, take the following pre-cautions against SIDS:

• Always put an infant to sleep on her back—never on her stomach.
• Place her on a firm mattress and remove any soft bedding or toys that could cover her face.
• Never allow smoking around the baby.