Assessment of intensive care unit delirium in developmentally delayed children

Pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) delirium is an increasingly common diagnosis with negative impacts on morbidity and mortality. Patients with developmental delay are particularly susceptible to developing ICU delirium due to possible cerebral disease, sensory loss, unfamiliar environment, or use of deliriogenic medications. Of the existing scoring tools to assess for ICU delirium, few have been evaluated for patients with developmental delay. This review highlights the literature investigating measures of accuracy of ICU delirium scoring tools in pediatric patients, potential impact of developmental delay on successfully diagnosing delirium, and future directions for this area of care.

This article summarizes pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) delirium, delirium screening tools, and developmental delay.