Published

2020-05-01

Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool

Evaluación del delirium en niños ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos: Herramienta psCAM-UCI

Avaliação do delirium em crianças internadas na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva: ferramenta psCAM-UTI

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15446/av.enferm.v38n2.78690

Keywords:

Delirium, Child, Preschool, Critical Care, Pediatrics, Psychomotor Agitation, Nursing. (en)
Delirium, Preescolar, Pediatría, Cuidados Críticos, Agitación Psicomotora, Enfermería. (es)
Delirium, Pré-escolar, Pediatria, Cuidados Críticos, Agitação Psicomotora, Enfermagem. (pt)

Downloads

Authors

Background: Delirium has been identified as a risk factor for the mortality of critically ill patients, generating great social and economic impacts, since patients require more days of mechanical ventilation and a prolonged hospital stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), thus increasing medical costs. Objective: To describe the prevalence and characteristics of delirium episodes in a sample of 6-month to 5-year-old children who are critically ill. Methods: Cohort study at a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Bogotá (Colombia). Participants were assessed by the Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (psCAM-ICU) within the first twenty-four hours of hospitalization. Results: One quarter of the participants (25.8%) presented some type of delirium. Among them, two sub-types of delirium were observed: 62.5% of the cases were hypoactive and 37.5% hyperactive. Moreover, from them, six were male (75%) and 2 female (25%). Primary diagnosis was respiratory tract infection in 62.55% of the patients, while respiratory failure was diagnosed in the remaining 37.5%. Conclusions: The implementation of delirium monitoring tools in critically ill children provides a better understanding of the clinical manifestation of this phenomenon and associated risk factors in order to contribute to the design of efficient intervention strategies.

Introducción: el delirium se ha identificado como un factor de riesgo para la mortalidad de pacientes en estado crítico, lo que genera un mayor impacto social y económico, teniendo en cuenta que los pacientes requieren más días de ventilación mecánica y una estancia hospitalaria prolongada en la unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI), lo que incrementa los costos médicos de su estadía.

Objetivo: describir la prevalencia y las características de los episodios de delirium en una muestra de niños de seis meses a cinco años en estado crítico.

Métodos: estudio de cohorte en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos (UCIP) en Bogotá (Colombia). Los participantes fueron evaluados por el método de evaluación de confusión preescolar para la UCI (psCAM-UCI) dentro de las 24 horas iniciales del período de hospitalización.

Resultados: una cuarta parte de los participantes (25,8 %) presentó algún tipo de delirium. Entre ellos, se observaron dos subtipos de delirium: el 62,5 % de los casos era hipoactivo y el 37,5 % hiperactivo. Además, el 75% (6) de los participantes delirantes eran hombres y el 25 % (2) mujeres. En 62,5 % de los pacientes el diagnóstico primario fue infección de las vías respiratorias, mientras que la insuficiencia respiratoria fue diagnosticada en el 37,5 % restante.

Conclusiones: la implementación de herramientas de monitoreo del delirium con niños en estado crítico proporciona una mejor comprensión de la presentación clínica de este fenómeno y los factores de riesgo asociados, con lo cual es posible contribuir al diseño de estrategias de intervención eficientes.

Introdução: o delirium foi identificado como um fator de risco para a mortalidade de pacientes graves, o que gera maior impacto social e econômico, visto que os pacientes necessitam de mais dias de ventilação mecânica e internação prolongada na unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI), o que aumenta os custos médicos para a sua estadia.

Objetivo: descrever a prevalência e as características dos episódios de delirium em uma amostra de crianças de 6 meses a 5 anos, gravemente doentes.

Métodos: estudo de coorte em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica (UTIP) em Bogotá (Colômbia). Os participantes foram avaliados pelo método de avaliação de confusão pré-escolar para a UTI (psCAM-UTI) dentro das primeiras 24 horas do período de internação.

Resultados: um quarto dos participantes (25,8%) apresentou algum tipo de delirium. Entre eles, dois subtipos de delirium foram observados: 62,5% dos casos eram hipoativos e 37,5% hiperativos. Além disso, 75% (6) dos participantes delirantes eram do sexo masculino e 25% (2) feminino. Em 62,5 % dos pacientes, o diagnóstico primário foi infecção das vias respiratórias, enquanto a insuficiência respiratória foi diagnosticada em 37,5 % restante.

Conclusões: a implementação de instrumentos de monitorização do delirium com crianças gravemente doentes permite uma melhor compreensão da apresentação clínica do fenômeno e dos fatores de risco associados, de forma a contribuir para o desenho de estratégias de intervenção eficazes.

References

(1) American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Washington DC.; 2013. Available from: DOI: http://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.744053

(2) Malas N, Brahmbhatt K, McDermott C, Smith A, Ortiz-Aguayo R, Turkel S. Pediatric delirium: evaluation, management, and special considerations. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2017; 19(9):65. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0817-3

(3) Smith HAB, Fuchs DC, Pandharipande PP, Barr FE, Ely EW. Delirium: An emerging frontier in the management of critically ill children. Anesthesiol Clin. 2011;29(4):729-50. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anclin.2011.09.011

(4) Schieveld JNM, Van Der Valk JA, Smeets I, Berghmans E, Wassenberg R, Leroy PLMN et al. Diagnostic considerations regarding pediatric delirium: A review and a proposal for an algorithm for pediatric intensive care units. Intensive Care Med. 2009;35(11):1843-49. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-009-1652-8

(5) Smith HAB, Boyd J, Fuchs DC, Melvin K, Berry P, Shintani A et al. Diagnosing delirium in critically ill children: validity and reliability of the pediatric confusion assessment method for the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med. 2011;39(1):150-7. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anclin.2011.09.011

(6) Patel AK, Bell MJ, Traube C. Delirium in pediatric critical care. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2017;64(5):1117-32. Available from: DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2017.06.009

(7) Spentzas T. Long-term sequelae of pediatric delirium. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2019;20(3):307-8. Available from: DOI: http://doi.org/10.1097/PCC.0000000000001852

(8) Traube C, Mauer E, Gerber L. Cost associated with pediatric delirium in the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med. 2016;44(12):e1175-79. Available from: DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000002004

(9) Traube C, Silver G, Gerber L, Kaur S, Mauer E, Kerson A, et al. Delirium and mortality in critically Ill children: epidemiology and outcomes of pediatric delirium. Crit Care Med. 2017;45(5):891–98. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000002324

(10) Colville G, Kerry S, Pierce C. Children’s factual and delusional memories of intensive care. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2008;177(9):976-82. Avaliable from: DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.200706-857OC

(11) Franken A, Sebbens D, Mensik J. Pediatric delirium: early identification of barriers to optimize success of screening and prevention. J Pediatr Heal Care. 2018;33(3):228-33. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2018.08.004

(12) Gangopadhyay M, Smith H, Pao M, Silver G, Deepmala D, De Souza C et al. Development of the vanderbilt assessment for delirium in infants and children to standardize pediatric delirium assessment by psychiatrists. Psychosomatics. 2017;58(4):355-63. Available from: DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.psym.2017.03.006

(13) Turkel S, Trzepacz PT, Tavaré C. Comparing symptoms of delirium in adults and children. Psychosomatics. 2006;47(4):320-4.

(14) Daoud A, Duff JP, Joffe AR. Diagnostic accuracy of delirium diagnosis in pediatric intensive care: A systematic review. Crit Care. 2014;18(5):1-10. Available from: DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-014-0489-x

(15) Kudchadkar SR, Yaster M, Punjabi N. Sedation, sleep promotion, and delirium screening practices in the care of mechanically ventilated children: a wakeup call for the pediatric critical care community. Crit Care Med. 2014;42(7):1592-600. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000000326

(16) Smith HAB, Brink E, Fuchs DC, Ely EW, Pandharipande PP. Pediatric delirium: monitoring and management in the pediatric intensive care unit. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2013;60(3):741-60. Available from: DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2013.02.010

(17) Van Tuijl SG, Van Cauteren YJ, Pikhard T, Engel M SJ. Management of pediatric delirium in critical illness: a practical update. Minerva Anestesiol. 2015;81(3):333–41. Available from: https://bit.ly/2J09UOX

(18) Pinzón-Casas EY. Validación del instrumento psCAM-ICU en su versión en español. (Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit). Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia; 2018. Available from: https://bit.ly/39FZcJm

(19) Smith HAB, Gangopadhyay M, Goben CM, Jacobowski NL, Chestnut MH, Savage S et al. The Preschool Confusion Assessment Method for the icu: valid and reliable delirium monitoring for critically Ill infants and children. Crit Care Med. 2016;44(3):592-600. Available from: DOI: http://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000001428

(20) Kerson AG, DeMaria R, Mauer E, Joyce C, Gerber LM, Greenwald BM et al. Validity of the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) in critically ill children. J Intensive Care. 2016;4:65. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40560-016-0189-5

(21) Straney L, Clements A, Parslow R, Pearson G, Shann F, Alexander J, et al. Paediatric Index of Mortality 3. An updated model for predicting mortality in pediatric intensive care. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2013;14(7):673-81. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/PCC.0b013e31829760cf

(22) Janssen NJJF, Tan EYL, Staal M, Janssen EPCJ, Leroy PLJM, Lousberg R, et al. On the utility of diagnostic instruments for pediatric delirium in critical illness: an evaluation of the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale, the Delirium Rating Scale 88, and the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised R-98. Intensive Care Med. 2011;37(8):1331-7. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-011-2244-y

(23) Traube C, Silver G, Kearney J, Patel A, Atkinson TM, Yoon MJ et al. Cornell assessment of pediatric delirium: a valid, rapid, observational tool for screening delirium in the PICU. Crit Care Med. 2014;42(3): 656-63. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0b013e3182a66b76

(24) Alvarez R V., Palmer C, Czaja AS, Peyton C, Silver G, Traube C et al. Delirium is a common and early finding in patients in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. J Pediatr. 2018;195:206-12. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.11.064

(25) Harris J, Ramelet AS, van Dijk M, Pokorna P, Wielenga J, Tume L et al. Clinical recommendations for pain, sedation, withdrawal and delirium assessment in critically ill infants and children: an ESPNIC position statement for healthcare professionals. Intensive Care Med. 2016;42:972-86. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-016-4344-1

(26) Pandharipande P, Cotton BA, Shintani A, Thompson J, Pun BT, Morris JA, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for development of delirium in surgical and trauma intensive care unit patients. J Trauma Inj Infect Crit Care. 2008;65(1):34-41. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/TA.0b013e31814b2c4d

(27) Twite MD, Rashid A, Zuk J, Friesen RH. Sedation, analgesia, and neuromuscular blockade in the pediatric intensive care unit: Survey of fellowship training programs. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2004;5(6):521-32. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.PCC.0000144710.13710.2E

(28) Kollef MH, Levy NT, Ahrens TS, Schaiff R, Prentice D, Sherman G. The use of continuous IV sedation is associated with prolongation of mechanical ventilation. Chest. 1998;114(2):541-8. Available from: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.114.2.541

How to Cite

VANCOUVER

1.
Henao Castaño Ángela M, Pinzon Casas EY. Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool. Av. enferm. [Internet]. 2020 May 1 [cited 2026 Mar. 14];38(2):140-8. Available from: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/avenferm/article/view/78690

ACM

[1]
Henao Castaño, Ángela M. and Pinzon Casas, E.Y. 2020. Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool. Avances en Enfermería. 38, 2 (May 2020), 140–148. DOI:https://doi.org/10.15446/av.enferm.v38n2.78690.

ACS

(1)
Henao Castaño, Ángela M.; Pinzon Casas, E. Y. Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool. Av. enferm. 2020, 38, 140-148.

APA

Henao Castaño, Ángela M. & Pinzon Casas, E. Y. (2020). Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool. Avances en Enfermería, 38(2), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.15446/av.enferm.v38n2.78690

ABNT

HENAO CASTAÑO, Ángela M.; PINZON CASAS, E. Y. Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool. Avances en Enfermería, [S. l.], v. 38, n. 2, p. 140–148, 2020. DOI: 10.15446/av.enferm.v38n2.78690. Disponível em: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/avenferm/article/view/78690. Acesso em: 14 mar. 2026.

Chicago

Henao Castaño, Ángela María, and Edwar Yamith Pinzon Casas. 2020. “Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool”. Avances En Enfermería 38 (2):140-48. https://doi.org/10.15446/av.enferm.v38n2.78690.

Harvard

Henao Castaño, Ángela M. and Pinzon Casas, E. Y. (2020) “Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool”, Avances en Enfermería, 38(2), pp. 140–148. doi: 10.15446/av.enferm.v38n2.78690.

IEEE

[1]
Ángela M. Henao Castaño and E. Y. Pinzon Casas, “Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool”, Av. enferm., vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 140–148, May 2020.

MLA

Henao Castaño, Ángela M., and E. Y. Pinzon Casas. “Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool”. Avances en Enfermería, vol. 38, no. 2, May 2020, pp. 140-8, doi:10.15446/av.enferm.v38n2.78690.

Turabian

Henao Castaño, Ángela María, and Edwar Yamith Pinzon Casas. “Assessment of delirium in children admitted into the Intensive Care Unit: psCAM-ICU Tool”. Avances en Enfermería 38, no. 2 (May 1, 2020): 140–148. Accessed March 14, 2026. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/avenferm/article/view/78690.

Download Citation

CrossRef Cited-by

CrossRef citations3

1. Iftitakhur Rohmah, Ika Lusdiana, Rufidah Maulina, Akhmad Fajri Widodo, Hsiao-Yean Chiu. (2025). Assessment of delirium in Indonesian pediatric intensive care unit: a psychometric evaluation of the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium. European Journal of Pediatrics, 184(2) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-025-05984-2.

2. Ángela M. Henao‐Castaño, Claudia Lorena Motta‐Robayo, Ingrid Tatiana Rojas‐Ruiz. (2023). Incidence and factors associated with delirium in critically ill patients under 5 years old. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 28(3) https://doi.org/10.1111/jspn.12412.

3. Diarmaid Semple, Moninne M. Howlett, Judith D. Strawbridge, Cormac V. Breatnach, John C. Hayden. (2022). A Systematic Review and Pooled Prevalence of Delirium in Critically Ill Children*. Critical Care Medicine, 50(2), p.317. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000005260.

Dimensions

PlumX

Article abstract page views

1160

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.