Doctors should take a series of measurements at birth to identify babies at risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a leading UK professor.
It is thought a thin placenta can affect the quality of a baby's development in the womb by reducing the flow of nutrients between mother and child, and that this can affect the way the heart develops, the Daily Mail reported.
Professor David Barker, physician and clinical epidemiologist at the University of Southampton, said it was crucial to record the characteristics of the placenta.
"We should routinely note the measurements after birth. We know the thicker the placenta the better, and that a thin placenta is associated with sudden death," Barker said.
At a meeting in the UK Parliament on Tuesday to be hosted by Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham, experts will discuss whether to introduce a national screening programme to identify young people at risk of cardiac arrest and whether to increase the availability of potentially life-saving defibrillators in public places, the paper said.
Any recommendations will be passed to the Department of Health.
"It feels as if more youngsters than ever are being affected. It's time to take a more structured view to see what we can do," Burnham was quoted as saying by the paper.
"We keep the evidence for antenatal screening under regular review and will look at any new evidence," a Department of Health spokesman said.
There are no warning signs that someone who is apparently healthy may be at risk of sudden cardiac death, and hundreds die
