Delirium in NICU Patients

Fluctuating attention, agitation, and motor restlessness led to the recognition of delirium in critically ill infants.

Delirium is an acute, fluctuating disturbance in attention and awareness that develops during a short period of time and in association with a serious medical illness. Estimated to occur in >20% of pediatric intensive care unit patients, delirium is associated with high morbidity and mortality when untreated.

In two recent reports, investigators describe four critically ill neonates receiving care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). They had fluctuating agitation, motor restlessness, and unresponsiveness to increasing doses of analgesic and sedative medications (including morphine and benzodiazepines). All were hyperactive with poor attention spans, inconsolable crying, and inability to orient to a parent's face or voice. The infants h…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics