Incidence of delirium in children hospitalized with acute respiratory failure outside the intensive care unit

Cecilia Echeverría-Puig, Unidad Académica Pediatría A, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
Romina Bustos, Unidad Académica Pediatría A, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
Maximiliano Carballedas, Unidad Académica Pediatría A, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
Mónica Pujadas, Unidad Académica Pediatría A, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
Sebastián González-Dambrauskas, Unidad Académica Pediatría A, Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República; Red Colaborativa Pediátrica de Latinoamérica (LARed Network). Montevideo, Uruguay

Background: The incidence of delirium outside pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) is unknown. This research aimed to determine the incidence of delirium in children with acute respiratory failure (ARF) admitted to non-invasive respiratory support (NIRS) wards outside of PICUs. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on children under the age of five, who were hospitalized and required NIRS outside of PICUs. Delirium was screened using the Cornell Scale, applied periodically during the first five days since admission. Results: Fifty-five children met inclusion criteria, from which 34% (n = 19) developed delirium during hospital admission. The hypoactive phenotype was the most prevalent (10/55; 52.63%). Conclusions: One in three children admitted for ARF and supported with NIRS outside of PICUs developed delirium, the hypoactive phenotype was the most frequent.

Keywords: Delirium. Pediatrics. Acute respiratory failure. Non-invasive respiratory support.