(a) The purpose of this part is to help reduce the incidence of injury and death to infants by accurately identifying the cause and manner of death of infants under one (1) year of age. This shall be accomplished by requiring that a death investigation be performed in all cases of all sudden, unexplained deaths of infants under one (1) year of age.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-1-1102

  • Certified child death pathologist: means a pathologist who is board certified or board eligible in forensic pathology, and who has received training in, and agrees to follow, the autopsy protocol, policies and guidelines for child death investigation, as prescribed by the chief medical examiner for the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 68-1-1101
  • Chief medical examiner: means the individual appointed pursuant to title 38, chapter 7. See Tennessee Code 68-1-1101
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Sudden infant death syndrome: means the sudden death of an infant under one (1) year of age that remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. See Tennessee Code 68-1-1101
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The chief medical examiner shall develop and implement a program for training of child death pathologists. The protocol and policies shall be based on nationally recognized standards.
(c) All emergency medical technicians and professional firefighters shall receive training on the handling of cases of sudden, unexplained child death as a part of their basic and continuing training requirements. The training, which shall be developed jointly by the departments of health and children’s services, shall include the importance of being sensitive to the grief of family members.
(d) All law enforcement officers shall receive training on the investigation and handling of cases of sudden, unexplained child death as part of their basic training requirements. The training, which shall be developed jointly by the departments of health and children’s services, shall include the importance of being sensitive to the grief of family members and shall be consistent with the death scene investigation protocol approved by the chief medical examiner. Additionally, whenever changes occur in policies or procedures pertaining to sudden infant death syndrome investigations, the department of health shall promptly notify the various law enforcement associations within the state. Such changes shall then be communicated in a timely manner to the respective law enforcement agencies for dissemination to their enforcement personnel.
(e) In the case of every sudden, unexplained death of an infant under one (1) year of age, the attending physician or coroner shall notify the county medical examiner, who shall coordinate the death investigation.
(f) The county medical examiner shall inform the parent or parents or legal guardian of the child, if an autopsy is authorized.
(g) The county medical examiner shall ensure that the body is sent for autopsy to a child death pathologist as defined in this part. Parents or legal guardians who refuse to allow an autopsy based on the grounds of religious exemption shall personally file a petition for an emergency court hearing in the general sessions court for the county in which the death occurred.
(h) The county medical examiner shall contact the appropriate local law enforcement personnel to conduct a death scene investigation according to the protocol developed by the chief medical examiner. The investigation shall be initiated within twenty-four (24) hours of the time the local law enforcement personnel are contacted by the county medical examiner.
(i) The county medical examiner shall send a copy of the death scene investigation and the medical history of the child to the pathologist conducting the autopsy.
(j) A copy of the completed autopsy, medical history, and death scene investigation shall be forwarded to the chief medical examiner.
(k) The cause of death, as determined by the certified child death pathologist, may be reported to the parents or legal guardians of the child. A copy of the autopsy results, when available, may be furnished to the parent or parents or legal guardian of the child, upon request, within forty-eight (48) hours of the request, except where the cause of death may reasonably be attributed to child abuse or neglect, in the judgment of the certified child death pathologist.
(l) Sudden infant death syndrome shall not be listed as the cause of death of a child, unless the death involves an infant under one (1) year of age that remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the child’s clinical history.
(m) Any individual or entity providing information pertinent to the investigation and related autopsy in a suspected case of sudden, unexplained infant death syndrome shall not be civilly liable for breach of confidentiality concerning the release of the information.
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