Updates and Clinical Implications of Pediatric Delirium.

Delirium is a fluctuating level of awareness based on a physiologic disease process. Within pediatrics, delirium affects approximately 30% of patients admitted to critical care units and is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, length of stay, and care costs. Multiple pediatric critical care societies recommend the implementation of screening practices using validated delirium tools.

Prevalence of ICU Delirium in Postoperative Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of ICU delirium in children less than 18 years old that underwent cardiac surgery within the last 30 days. The secondary aim of the study was to identify risk factors associated with ICU delirium in postoperative pediatric cardiac surgical patients.

Design: A 1-day, multicenter point-prevalence study of delirium in pediatric postoperative cardiac surgery patients.

Establishment of Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Advanced Practice Provider Services.

The addition of advanced practice providers (APPs; nurse practitioners and physician assistants) to a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) team is a health care innovation that addresses medical provider shortages while allowing PCICUs to deliver high-quality, cost-effective patient care. APPs, through their consistent clinical presence, effective communication, and facilitation of interdisciplinary collaboration, provide a sustainable solution for the highly specialized needs of PCICU patients. In addition, APPs provide leadership, patient and staff education, facilitate implementation of evidence-based practice and quality improvement initiatives, and the performance of clinical research in the PCICU.