Measurement Properties of the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis-Based...

Emergence delirium is a well-known and common problem in children recovering from anesthesia. The five-item Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale is one of the most commonly used instruments for assessing this condition, but the scale has been questioned regarding its latent structure, i.e., whether its items cover just one underlying construct. It has been suggested that the scale's first three items might identify emergence delirium better than the last two.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the measurement properties of the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale with a focus on its latent structure and cutoff scores, using appropriate statistical methods for ordinal data.

A total of 350 children under 7 years of age, undergoing adenoidectomy, with or without additional tonsillotomy or minor procedures like paracentesis, tongue-tie release, or cerumen removal, were enrolled in the study. At the recovery unit, emergence delirium and pain were registered.

The confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the two-factor model, including emergence delirium-specific behaviors (first three items) and emergence delirium-nonspecific behaviors (last two items), established an excellent model fit according to the χ² goodness-of-fit statistics, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation, Comparative Fit Index, Tucker-Lewis Index, and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual. The ordinal alpha of 0.98 and the ordinal omega of 0.96 supported the internal consistency reliability of the emergence delirium-specific behaviors. The convergent validity was supported due to a strong correlation between emergence delirium-nonspecific behaviors and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability scale. The receiver-operating characteristic curve analyses resulted in two tentative cutoff scores for emergence delirium-specific behaviors¸ ≥ 6 and ≥ 8.

The Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale's first three items are a more valid and reliable measure of emergence delirium than its original five items.