Reason for cot deaths hard to determine, Cork inquest told 

Edel House on Grattan Street in Cork, Where Emma Murphy and her baby Myles were living. Picture: Denis Minihane

Despite extensive research and investigation into cot deaths, the reason for why they occur is still hard to determine, according to a senior pathologist.

Assistant State pathologist Margaret Bolster was speaking at an inquest in Cork City Coroners Court yesterday into the death of Myles Murphy, of Edel House, Grattan St, Cork City, on January 10 this year. Sudden infant death syndrome, also known as cot death, was given as his cause of death, with a verdict of natural death returned by coroner Philip Comyn.

In a statement read to the court, Myles’s mother Emma Murphy recalled the night of January 9, having spent all of that day with her son, who was almost four months old.

She said: “I recall Myles was very active that day. He was really coming into himself. I think I stayed in my room with Myles most of that day.”

She remembered Myles was “full of interaction” with other people attending a bingo night in Edel House that night.

"We left bingo and left the sitting room at around 10pm. We went to my room. I fed Myles his bottle at around 11 or 12."

She put him into his cot, where he fell asleep. He woke again at 4.30am on January 10, when he had a bottle of milk and returned to sleep.

When she woke at around 10am, Myles was not responsive, and his cheeks were blue. He made a noise and fluid came from him.

She picked him up and went to staff to raise the alarm. Myles was taken to the Mercy University Hospital by ambulance.

Staff attempted CPR on him before the ambulance arrived. A defibrillator was also used.

A statement from one of the staff on duty at Edel House, Clodagh Donoghue, said the defibrillator read: “No shock advised.”

The infant was pronounced dead at the hospital at 10.36am.

Dr Bolster said the autopsy showed that Myles was a “perfectly well cared-for baby”, with no evidence of any underlying issues or infections.

She said that there are two categories of sudden infant death syndrome.

Category 1 relates to children who have had a normal, full-term delivery, are sleeping in their own cot, and no sudden deaths in siblings or close genetic relatives. Category 2 includes co-sleeping.

She said in this case, there were no evidence of co-sleeping, and that Myles’s death fell into sudden infant death syndrome Category 1 criteria.

She said that despite very extensive investigations and research, “there is no actual cause of death pinned down”.

She said that, in 5% to 10% of cases, there may be a link with cardiac arrythmia “such as with sudden adult death syndrome”.

“There are two periods of vulnerability [in that 5% to 10% of Category 1 deaths] — the highest risk is around three months and then of course in young adults.”

Ms Murphy expressed upset there was not more information available on why her son died.

Dr Bolster said “huge volumes” of research have been conducted into the area, and that progression in genetics may help expand understanding of the area in the future.