[Mortality caused by accidental suffocation during the first year of life].

We have analyzed the mortality due to accidental choking and suffocation during the first year of life that occurred in Spain from 1970 to 1980. The annual mortality rate due to choking caused by foodstuffs increased considerably from 1970 (5.7 deaths per 100,000) to 1977 (34.47 deaths per 100,000) and then declined slightly. Overall, mortality from this cause increased by a factory of five throughout the decade. This surprising evolution and its causes at a time when infant mortality is declining are discussed.