Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 15, 2025

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

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Delirium in the NICU: A Point Prevalence Study

Elana J Siegel1, Alan M Groves2, Gabrielle Silver3

  • 1Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York elana.siegel@mountsinai.org.

Hospital Pediatrics
|October 29, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Delirium is common in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infants, affecting 22.4% of those screened. Invasive mechanical ventilation and neurologic disorders were linked to higher delirium rates in neonates.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Critical Care
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Delirium is a frequent complication in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs).
  • Infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are at risk for delirium.
  • No prior studies have quantified delirium rates in neonates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To estimate the prevalence of delirium in term neonates admitted to the NICU.
  • To pilot the use of a validated pediatric delirium screening tool in a NICU setting.

Main Methods:

  • A point prevalence study design was employed.
  • Term or term-corrected infants in the NICU were screened using the Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD).

Main Results:

  • 22.4% of screened infants (33 out of 147) tested positive for delirium.
  • Delirium was significantly more common in infants on invasive mechanical ventilation (67%) and those with neurologic disorders (64%).
  • Neurologic disability and mechanical ventilation were independently associated with delirium (aORs > 9).

Conclusions:

  • Delirium appears to be prevalent in term-equivalent infants within the NICU.
  • Further research is needed to confirm the feasibility, validity, and interrater reliability of delirium screening in this population.
Abstract

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