The fallacy of the simultaneous sudden infant death syndrome in twins.

The likelihood of twin infants dying suddenly and simultaneously of SIDS, a natural disorder, defies credibility. However, injuries associated with environmental hazards provide possible mechanisms of sudden death. A search for hazards in the homes of 13 pairs of healthy twins who died together of no apparent cause formed the basis of this study. Ten of the 13 sets were certified by medical examiners as simultaneous twin SIDS. The findings in this study suggest that all 13 sets died from injuries, either unintentional or otherwise, and that these deaths could have been prevented.