Accuracy of delirium assessments in critically ill children: A prospective, observational study during routine care

Current Evidence Regarding the Evaluation and Management of Neonatal Delirium

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Newborns and infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may be at uniquely high risk of developing delirium. Because there is a dearth of NICU-focused literature, providers must rely on evidence derived from older children and infants in other care settings to guide management. The literature was rigorously reviewed to highlight evidence specific to newborns and infants and is summarized here.

RECENT FINDINGS

Delirium likely occurs in newborns and infants at similar or higher rates than what is seen in other care settings. Recent literature calls particular attention to the lack of assessment tools validated in a NICU setting. Evidence for the evaluation and management of delirium in the NICU is lacking. More study specific to the NICU is needed to build consensus toward best practice.

The parent perspective on paediatric delirium and an associated care bundle: A qualitative study

AIMS

To explore how parents experienced their child with delirium and how parents viewed our delirium management bundle.

DESIGN

We conducted a qualitative exploratory descriptive study using semi-structured individual or dyad interviews.

METHODS

Twelve semi-structured interviews with 16 parents of 12 critically ill children diagnosed with delirium in a paediatric intensive care unit were conducted from October 2022 to January 2023 and analysed through a reflexive thematic analysis.

FINDINGS

We generated five themes: (1) knowing that something is very wrong, (2) observing manifest changes in the child, (3) experiencing fear of long-term consequences, (4) adding insight to the bundle, and (5) family engagement.

CONCLUSION

The parents in our study were able to observe subtle and manifest changes in their child with delirium. This caused fear of lasting impact. The parents regarded most of the interventions in the delirium management bundle as relevant but needed individualization in the application. The parents requested more information regarding delirium and a higher level of parent engagement in the care of their child during delirium.

IMPACT

This paper contributes to understanding how parents might experience delirium in their critically ill child, how our delirium management bundle was received by the parents, and their suggestions for improvement. Our study deals with critically ill children with delirium, their parents, and staff working to prevent and manage paediatric delirium (PD) in the paediatric intensive care unit.

REPORTING METHOD

The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research guidelines were used to ensure the transparency of our reporting.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution to the research design. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER CONTRIBUTE TO THE WIDER GLOBAL COMMUNITY?: - It increases awareness of the parent's perspective on PD in critically ill children. - It shows how PD might affect parents, causing negative emotions such as distress, frustration, and fear of permanent damage. - It shows that the parents in our study, in addition to the care bundle, requested more information on delirium and more involvement in the care of their delirious child.

Adapting the Cornell assessment of pediatric delirium for Swedish context: translation, cultural validation and inter-rater reliability

BACKGROUND

Pediatric delirium causes prolonged hospital stays, increased costs, and distress for children and caregivers. Currently, there is no delirium screening tool available in Sweden that has been translated, culturally validated, and tested for reliability. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and assess the suitability of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) for implementation in Swedish healthcare settings.

METHODS

The CAPD was translated and culturally adapted to Swedish context following the ten-step process recommended by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Task Force for Translation and Cultural Adaptation. The Swedish CAPD was tested in the pediatric intensive care unit of Uppsala University Hospital, a tertiary hospital in Sweden. Inter-rater reliability was tested using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), with both Registered Nurses (RNs) and Assistant Nurses (ANs) conducting parallel measurements using the Swedish CAPD. A reliability score of ICC > 0.75 was considered indicative of good reliability.

RESULTS

After translation of the CAPD into Swedish, 10 RNs participated in the cultural adaptation process. Issues related to word choice, education, and instructions were addressed. Wording improvements were made to ensure accurate interpretation. Supplementary training sessions were organized to strengthen users' proficiency with the Swedish CAPD. Additional instructions were provided to enhance clarity and usability. Inter-rater reliability testing resulted in an ICC of 0.857 (95% CI: 0.708-0.930), indicating good reliability.

CONCLUSION

This study successfully translated and culturally adapted the CAPD to align with Swedish contextual parameters. The resulting Swedish CAPD demonstrated good inter-rater reliability, establishing its viability as a tool for measuring delirium among pediatric patients in Swedish pediatric intensive care units.

TRAIL REGISTRATION

Not applicable.

Diagnostic accuracy of the pediatric CAM-ICU, pre-school CAM-ICU, Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium and Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium for detecting delirium in the pediatric intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Delirium is a frequent complication of critical illness, affecting 34% of children admitted to pediatric intensive care units. The commonly used tools for detecting delirium in the pediatric intensive care unit include the Pediatric Confusion Assessment Method for the intensive care unit (ICU, pCAM-ICU), Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (psCAM-ICU), Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium and the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium.

DATA SOURCES

We searched four electronic databases for relevant articles from inception to March 1, 2023.

STUDY SELECTION

All full-text observational studies examining the sensitivity and specificity of the four tools for screening delirium in the pediatric intensive care units were included.

DATA EXTRACTION

Two researchers independently identified articles, extracted data, and retrieved the diagnostic accuracy parameters of the pediatric CAM-ICU, pre-school CAM-ICU, Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium, and Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium relative to standard references. A bivariate diagnostic statistical analysis with a random-effects model was performed.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Four, five, three and seven studies on the pediatric CAM-ICU, pre-school CAM-ICU, Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium, and Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium, respectively, were identified. Due to the limited number of Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium articles included, no pooled diagnostic accuracy was produced. The pooled sensitivity was 0.73, 0.84, and 0.95 for the pediatric CAM-ICU, pre-school CAM-ICU, and Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium, respectively, whereas the pooled specificity was 0.98, 0.90, and 0.81, respectively. The Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium had greater sensitivity compared to both the pediatric CAM-ICU and pre-school CAM-ICU (both p = 0.04) and lower specificity than the pediatric CAM-ICU did (p < 0.001). Age, sample size, and mechanical ventilation use were significant moderators of the specificity of the pediatric CAM-ICU (p < 0.001, <0.001, and = 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate that the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium is a more dependable instrument than the pediatric CAM-ICU and pre-school CAM-ICU for detecting pediatric intensive care delirium occurrence. More studies on the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium are warranted.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE

Healthcare providers are suggested adopting the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium into daily routine for the early detection of delirium in pediatric intensive care units.

Non-pharmacological interventions for delirium in the pediatric population: a systematic review with narrative synthesis

BACKGROUND

Delirium is a serious complication experienced by hospitalized children. Therefore, preventive management strategies are recommended for these patients. However, comprehensive analyses of delirium interventions in children remain insufficient. Specifically, this systematic review aimed to summarize non-pharmacological interventions for pediatric delirium, addressing the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of effective strategies. We also explored frequently measured outcome variables to contribute evidence for future research on delirium outcomes in children.

METHODS

This systematic review searched articles from PubMed, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Excerpta Medica databases. The eligibility criteria were formed under the population, intervention, comparator, outcome, and study design framework. Studies were included if they involved (1) children aged under 18 years receiving hospital care, (2) non-pharmacological delirium interventions, (3) comparators involving no intervention or pharmacological delirium interventions, and (4) outcomes measuring the effectiveness of non-pharmacological delirium interventions. Only peer-reviewed articles published in English were included.

RESULTS

Overall, 16 studies were analyzed; of them, 9 assessed non-pharmacological interventions for emergence delirium and 7 assessed interventions for pediatric delirium. The intervention types were grouped as follows: educational (n = 5), multicomponent (n = 6), and technology-assisted (n = 5). Along with pediatric and emergence delirium, the most frequently measured outcome variables were pain, patient anxiety, parental anxiety, pediatric intensive care unit length of stay, agitation, analgesic consumption, and postoperative maladaptive behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-pharmacological interventions for children are effective treatments without associated complications. However, determining the most effective non-pharmacological delirium intervention for hospitalized children based on current data remains challenging.

Differences in Delirium Evaluation and Pharmacologic Management in Children With Developmental Delay: A Retrospective Case-Control Study

Delirium is associated with increased mortality and cost, decreased neurocognition, and decreased quality of life in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) population. The Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) is used in PICUs for delirium screening but lacks specificity in children with developmental delay (DD). Within a cohort of children receiving pharmacologic treatment for intensive care unit (ICU) delirium, we compared delirium scoring and medication management between children with and without DD. We hypothesized that CAPD scores and treatment decisions would differ between DD and neurotypical (NT) patients. In this retrospective case-control study, we queried the medical record of patients admitted to our PICU with respiratory failure from June 2018 to March 2022 who received antipsychotics typically used for ICU delirium. Antipsychotics prescribed for home use were excluded. Nonparametric statistics compared demographics, CAPD scores, medication choice, dosing (mg/kg), and medication continuation after discharge between those with and without DD based on the ICD-10 codes. Twenty-one DD admissions and 59 NT admissions were included. Groups did not significantly differ by demographics, LOS, drug, or initial dosage. DD patients had higher median CAPD scores at admission (17 vs 13; P = .02) and treatment initiation (18 vs 16.5; P = .05). Providers more frequently escalated doses in DD patients (13/21 vs 21/59; P = .04) and discharged them home on new antipsychotics (7/21 vs 5/59; P = .01). DD patients experience delirium screening and management differently than NT counterparts. Providers should be aware of baseline elevated scores in DD patients and carefully attend to indications for dosage escalation. Further work is needed to understand if prolonged duration, even after hospital discharge, benefits patients, or represents potential disparity in care.

Challenges of the Implementation of a Delirium Rate Scale in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Approach

INTRODUCTION

Delirium in the pediatric population admitted to intensive care is a worrying reality due to its potential complications and the increase in associated costs. This study aims to explore the experiences of nursing staff of a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit after 15 months of starting a program to fight against childhood delirium in their unit.

METHODOLOGY

A qualitative study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Key Informants. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) and the consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) were followed as quality measures for the study. Seven nurses (33% of the eligible population) from the PICU of a referral hospital were interviewed. Text transcripts were analyzed using the Interpretative Description and Qualitative Content Analysis method.

RESULTS

The interviewees indicated not identifying delirium as an important reality; with great deficiencies observed in what is related to the identification of delirium; identifying CAPD as an unreliable tool in their unit; and not sharing therapeutic objectives in this respect with the medical staff.

CONCLUSIONS

The nursing staff presented a series of negative attitudes towards the phenomena of delirium in their unit, with gaps in training and in clinical management, and the diagnostic tool used, and did not see it as a priority objective of the unit, partly due to a resistance to change and a latent interprofessional communication conflict. A change at the formative, attitudinal, and relational levels is urgently needed for the success of the program and the well-being of the children in the unit.

Updates and Clinical Implications of Pediatric Delirium

Delirium is a fluctuating level of awareness based on a physiologic disease process. Within pediatrics, delirium affects approximately 30% of patients admitted to critical care units and is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, length of stay, and care costs. Multiple pediatric critical care societies recommend the implementation of screening practices using validated delirium tools. Delirium remains underrecognized because of suboptimal screening and protocol implementation in pediatric critical care units nationally and internationally. The mainstay of delirium prevention and management is nonpharmacologic, focusing on normalizing a patient's environment, sleep/wake cycles, nutritional status, and activity levels.

Inter-Rater Reliability of Delirium Screening of Infants in the Cardiac ICU: A Prospective, Observational Study

OBJECTIVES

To determine the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium (CAP-D) in infants admitted to a cardiac ICU (CVICU) and to explore the impact of younger age and mechanical ventilation on IRR.

DESIGN

Prospective cross-sectional study of delirium screening performed by bedside CVICU nurses. We collected data from September 2020 to April 2021. We evaluated IRR with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) one-way random effects and Fleiss kappa for multiple raters.

SETTING

Eighteen-bed academic pediatric CVICU.

PARTICIPANTS

Subjects: Infants 1 day to 1 year old admitted to the CVICU, stratified in two age groups (≤ 9 wk and 9 wk to < 1 yr). Exclusion criteria were patients' immediate postoperative day, State Behavioral Scale score less than or equal to -2, or at risk for hemodynamic instability with assessment. Raters: CVICU nurses working in the unit during study days.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Groups of four raters performed 91 assessments, a total of 364 CAP-D screens. Forty-five of 91 (49%) were in patients less than or equal to 9 weeks old and 43 of 91 (47%) in mechanically ventilated patients. Sixty-eight of 81 nurses (81%) participated. In infants less than or equal to 9 weeks old, ICC was 0.59 (95% CI 0.44-0.71), poor to moderate reliability, significantly lower than the ICC in infants greater than 9 weeks and 0.72 (95% CI 0.61-0.82), moderate to good reliability. In mechanically ventilated infants, ICC was 0.5 (95% CI 0.34-0.65), poor to moderate reliability, significantly lower than the ICC in nonmechanically ventilated infants and 0.69 (95% CI 0.57-0.8), moderate to good reliability. Fleiss kappa for all infants was 0.47 (95% CI 0.34-0.6), slight to fair agreement. Use of anchor points did not improve reliability.

CONCLUSIONS

In the youngest, most vulnerable infants admitted to the CVICU, further evaluation of the CAP-D tool is needed.

Postoperative opioid administration and post-traumatic stress symptoms in preschool children after cardiac surgery

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between postoperative opioid administration and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in preschool-aged children surviving cardiac surgery.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study using survey administration and medical chart review. Primary caregivers of children aged three to six years who underwent cardiac surgery at our institution between 2018 and 2020 were invited to participate. Opioid administration was calculated according to morphine milligram equivalents and indexed to the child's body weight. Caregivers completed the Young Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist to explore child PTSS. We used correlational methods to assess the strength and direction of relationships between postoperative opioid administration and child PTSS.

RESULTS

We did not find a statistically significant relationship between total postoperative opioid administration and child PTSS. When analyzing individual opioid agents, morphine did show a significant inverse relationship to YCPC scores (r_s = -.57, p = .017) in children with single ventricle physiology.

CONCLUSIONS

Total postoperative opioid administration was not statistically significantly related to child PTSS in our sample. Differing patterns of association were noted among children with single- versus bi-ventricular physiology. Postoperative morphine administration was favorably associated with PTSS in children with single-ventricle physiology.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Nurses caring for preschool children who undergo cardiac surgery should anticipate the potential development of PTSS in their patients. Studies using larger sample sizes and longitudinal design are needed to replicate the significant relationship between morphine administration and PTSS in preschoolers with single-ventricle physiology.

Risk factors of delirium in paediatric intensive care units: A meta-analysis

Background

Delirium is a brain dysfunction syndrome, which children have a higher incidence. At present, there have been more and more studies and reports on delirium in paediatric intensive care unit, but there are some differences in the risk factor results among different studies. To better manage delirium, this study was performed.

Objective

To integrate and clarify the risk factors for delirium in paediatric intensive care unit.

Methods

CNKI, CBMdisc, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, VIP, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, JBI and PsycInfo were searched for relevant literature. The study subjects were patients in PICU and literature was included according to the PICOS principle. Literature screening and risk of bias assessment were mainly completed by two researchers, and RevMan 5.3 software and Stata software were used for data analysis. The GRADE systerm was used to assess the quality of evidence.

Results

A total of 10 studies were included, all in English, involving 4343 children. Within the GRADE system, 4 indicators were scored A, 1 indicators were scored B, and 3 indicators were scored C regarding evidence levels. Three studies analysed the influence of developmental delay on the occurrence of delirium in PICU, total sample size of which was 1823, and the results showed that the combined effect was statistically significant [OR = 3.34, 95%CI(2.46–4.53), Z = 7.75, P<0.001]; Five studies analysed the effects of mechanical ventilation on the occurrence of delirium in PICU, sample size of which was 1562, and the results showed that the combined effect was statistically significant [OR = 4.11, 95%CI(3.13–5.40), Z = 10.16, P<0.001]; Two studies analysed the effects of benzodiazepines on children developing delirium, sample size of which was 1635, and the results showed that the combined effect was statistically significant [OR = 5.05, 95%CI(3.65–6.97), Z = 9.83, P<0.001]; Two studies analysed the effects of anticholinergic drug use on children developing delirium in PICU, sample size of which was 1703, and the results suggested the combined effect was statistically significant [OR = 5.04, 95%CI (3.62–7.00), Z = 9.63, P<0.001]; Two studies compared the same age period, sample size of which was 1724 and the results showed that children 2–5 years old has a 48% incidence rate of delirium relative to children younger than 2 years old, and the combined effect was statistically significant [OR = 0.48, 95%CI(0.25–0.92), Z = 2.22, P = 0.030], children 5–13 years old has a 39% incidence rate of delirium relative to children younger than 2 years old, and the combined effect was statistically significant [OR = 0.39, 95%CI(0.26–0.59), Z = 4.43, P<0.001]. Two studies analysed the effects of PICU LOS on children developing delirium and the combined effect of PICU LOS on the occurrence of delirium in children in PICU was statistically significant [OR = 1.10, 95%CI(1.05–1.15), Z = 4.07, P<0.001].

Conclusion

Developmental delay, mechanical ventilation, benzodiazepine use, anticholinergic use, age and PICU length of stay are independent risk factors for delirium in children in PICU. However, only a few articles were included in this study, which may lead to a certain bias and affect the analysing results. More large-sample, multicentre studies should be conducted to further explore and clarify the independent influencing factors of delirium in children in PICU and to provide guidance for clinical practice.

Improving peripheral venous cannula insertion in children: a mixed methods study to develop the DIVA key

OBJECTIVE

To develop and validate a difficult intravenous access risk assessment and escalation pathway, to increase first time intravenous insertion success in paediatrics.

METHODS

Mixed methods underpinned by literature and co-production principles. Iterative development of the instrument was informed through semi-structured interviews and stakeholder workshops. The instrument includes a risk assessment, inserter skill self-assessment, and escalation pathways. Reproducibility, reliability, and acceptability were evaluated in a prospective cohort study at a quaternary paediatric hospital in Australia.

RESULTS

Interview data (three parents, nine clinicians) uncovered two themes: i) Recognition of children with DIVA and subsequent escalation is ad hoc and problematic; and ii) Resources and training impact inserter confidence and ability. Three workshops were delivered at monthly intervals (February-April 2020) involving 21 stakeholders culminating in the co-production of the "DIVA Key". The DIVA Key was evaluated between May-December 2020 in 78 children; 156 clinicians. Seventy-eight paired assessments were undertaken with substantial agreement (concordance range = 81.5 to 83.0%) between the assessors. Interrater reliability of the DIVA risk assessment was moderate (kappa = 0.71, 95% CI 0.63-0.80). The DIVA Key predicted multiple insertion attempts for red (high risk) DIVA classification (relative risk ratio 5.7, 95% CI 1.2-27.1; reference low risk). Consumer and clinician satisfaction with DIVA Key was high (median (IQR) = 10 [8-10]; 8 [8-10 respectively).

CONCLUSION

The DIVA Key is a straightforward, reliable instrument with inbuilt escalation pathway to support the identification of children with difficult intravenous access.

Assessment and Management of Delirium in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Review

Many critically ill patients suffer from delirium which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. There is a paucity of data about the incidence, symptoms, or treatment of delirium in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Risk factors for delirium are common in the PICU including central nervous system immaturity, developmental delay, mechanical ventilation, and use of anticholinergic agents, corticosteroids, vasopressors, opioids, or benzodiazepines. Hypoactive delirium is the most common subtype in pediatric patients; however, hyperactive delirium has also been reported. Various screening tools are validated in the pediatric population, with the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) applicable to the largest age range and able to detect signs and symptoms consistent with both hypo- and hyperactive delirium. Treatment of delirium should always include identification and reversal of the underlying etiology, reserving pharmacologic management for those patients without symptom resolution, or with significant impact to medical care. Atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone) should be used first-line in patients requiring pharmacologic treatment owing to their apparent efficacy and low incidence of reported adverse effects. The choice of atypical antipsychotic should be based on adverse effect profile, available dosage forms, and consideration of medication interactions. Intravenous haloperidol may be a potential treatment option in patients unable to tolerate oral medications and with significant symptoms. However, given the high incidence of serious adverse effects with intravenous haloperidol, routine use should be avoided. Dexmedetomidine should be used when sedation is needed and when clinically appropriate, given the positive impact on delirium. Additional well-designed trials assessing screening and treatment of PICU delirium are needed.