Acute Neurologic Dysfunction in Critically Ill Children: The PODIUM Consensus Conference

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
• Neurology
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Acute neurologic dysfunction is prevalent in critically ill children.
• It significantly impacts patient outcomes and end-of-life care decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish consensus criteria for identifying neurologic dysfunction in critically ill children.
• To evaluate the evidence supporting these criteria and their link to patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic electronic literature search of PubMed and Embase (1992-2020).
• Included studies focused on pediatric critical illness, neurologic injury, and validated assessment tools.
• Excluded adult studies, premature infants, animal research, and non-English publications.

Main Results:

• Consensus criteria for neurologic dysfunction include: Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤8, Glasgow Coma Scale motor score ≤4, Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium score ≥9, or specific electroencephalography findings.
• These criteria are supported by systematic review of relevant literature.

Conclusions:

• Presents consensus criteria for diagnosing neurologic dysfunction in critically ill children.
• These criteria aim to standardize assessment and improve patient care.