The Nicklaus Children's Hospital cardiac nursing team was honored to participate in this multicenter study with 26 other pediatric and cardiac intensive care units.

Ruby Whalen, MSN, RN, NC-BC [pictured above] comments, "The results of this study demonstrated that delirium is under-recognized in pediatric cardiac patients, and many Centers do not routinely screen for delirium. However, pediatric delirium has been associated with increased length of mechanical  ventilation, hospital costs, and even mortality, and it is therefore important to recognize delirium in order to improve patient outcomes.

This study highlights an area where nursing care can significantly improve the outcomes of pediatric patients through assessment and nurse-led protocols."

Jeff Yenor, BSN, RN, CCRN, was also a key collaborator on this study, and played an important role in data collection with this project.

Access the full publication "Prevalence of ICU Delirium in Postoperative Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients" at the Journal of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.