The effect of nalbuphine on prevention of emergence delirium in children: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Emergence delirium remains a major postoperative concern for children undergoing surgery. Nalbuphine is a synthetic mixed agonist-antagonist opioid, which is believed to reduce the incidence of emergence delirium in children. The primary objective was to examine the effect of nalbuphine on emergence delirium in children undergoing surgery. METHODS: Databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched from their starting dates until April 2023. Randomized Clinical Trials (RCT) and observational studies comparing nalbuphine and control in children undergoing surgery were included. RESULTS: Eight studies (n = 1466 patients) were eligible for inclusion of data analysis. Compared to the control, our pooled data showed that the nalbuphine group was associated with lower incidence of emergence delirium (RR = 0.38, 95% CI [0.30, 0.47], p < 0.001) and reduced postoperative pain scores (MD = -0.98, 95% CI [-1.92, -0.04], p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: This review showed the administration of nalbuphine is associated with significant decrease in the incidence of emergence delirium and postoperative pain scores among children undergoing surgery. However, due to limited sample size, high degree of heterogeneity and low level of evidence, future adequately powered trials are warranted to explore the efficacy of nalbuphine on emergence delirium among the pediatric population.

Role of Intraoperative Neuromonitoring to Predict Postoperative Delirium in Cardiovascular Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative delirium (POD) can occur in up to 50% of older patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery, resulting in hospitalization and significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine whether intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring (IONM) modalities can be used to predict delirium in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. DESIGN: Adult patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery with IONM between 2019 and 2021 were reviewed retrospectively. Delirium was assessed multiple times using the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC). Patients with an ICDSC score ≥4 were considered to have POD. Significant IONM changes were evaluated based on a visual review of electroencephalography (EEG) and somatosensory evoked potentials data and documentation of significant changes during surgery. SETTING: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Patients 18 years old and older undergoing cardiovascular surgery with IONM monitoring. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 578 patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery with IONM, 126 had POD (21.8%). Significant IONM changes were noted in 134 patients, of whom 49 patients had delirium (36.6%). In contrast, 444 patients had no IONM changes during surgery, of whom 77 (17.3%) patients had POD. Upon multivariate analysis, IONM changes were associated with POD (odds ratio 2.12; 95% CI 1.31-3.44; p < 0.001). Additionally, baseline EEG abnormalities were associated with POD (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Significant IONM changes are associated with an increased risk of POD in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. These findings offer a basis for future research and analysis of EEG and somatosensory evoked potential monitoring to predict, detect, and prevent POD.

Predisposing and precipitating factors for the development of postoperative delirium in critically ill patients in a university intensive care unit / Fatores predisponentes e precipitantes para o desenvolvimento de delirium pós-operatório em pacientes críticos de uma unidade intensiva universitária / Factores predisponentes y precipitantes para el desarrollo del delirium postoperatorio en pacientes críticos de una unidad intensiva universitaria

Abstract Objective: to detect the incidence of postoperative delirium in critically ill patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit and to evaluate the predisposing and precipitating factors associated with postoperative delirium in critically ill patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit. Method: this is a prospective cohort study of 157 critically ill surgical patients. Fisher's exact test and Chi-square test were used for the association between factors and the occurrence of delirium, the Wilcoxon test for numerical variables, and the logistic regression model for the analysis of predisposing and precipitating factors. Results: the incidence of delirium was 28% (n=44). Age was a significant predisposing factor (p=0.001), followed by the length of surgery (p<0.001), blood transfusion (p=0.043), administration of crystalloids (p=0.008), and anti-inflammatory drugs (p=0.037), which were the precipitating factors identified. The best-adjusted models were: age, length of surgery, non-administration of anti-emetics, use of sufentanil, and blood transfusion. Conclusion: delirium is a frequent condition in critically ill adults undergoing surgery and the existence of precipitating and predisposing factors is relevant to the outcome, with the anesthetic-surgical procedure as the catalyst event.

Resumo Objetivo: detectar a incidência de delirium pós-operatório em pacientes críticos internados em uma unidade de terapia intensiva cirúrgica e avaliar os fatores predisponentes e precipitantes associados ao delirium pós-operatório em pacientes críticos internados em uma unidade de terapia intensiva cirúrgica. Método: trata-se de um estudo de coorte prospectivo com 157 pacientes críticos cirúrgicos. Utilizou-se teste Exato de Fisher e qui-quadrado para a associação entre os fatores e ocorrência de delirium, teste de Wilcoxon para as variáveis numéricas e o modelo de Regressão Logística para a análise dos fatores predisponentes e precipitantes. Resultados: a incidência de delirium foi 28% (n=44). O fator idade apresentou-se predisponente significativo (p=0,001), seguido do tempo de cirurgia (p<0,001), a transfusão sanguínea (p=0,043), a administração de cristaloides (p=0,008) e anti-inflamatórios (p=0,037), estes foram os fatores precipitantes identificados. Obteve-se como melhor modelo ajustado: idade, tempo de cirurgia, a não administração de antieméticos, o uso de sufentanil e a transfusão sanguínea. Conclusão: o delirium consiste em acometimento frequente para adultos críticos cirúrgicos e a existência de fatores precipitantes e predisponentes tornam-se relevantes para o desfecho, tendo-se o procedimento anestésico-cirúrgico como evento catalisador.

Resumen Objetivo: detectar la incidencia de delirium postoperatorio en pacientes críticos internados en una unidad de terapia intensiva quirúrgica y evaluar los factores predisponentes y precipitantes asociados al delirium postoperatorio en pacientes críticos internados en una unidad de terapia intensiva quirúrgica. Método: se trata de un estudio de cohorte prospectivo con 157 pacientes críticos quirúrgicos. Se utilizó la prueba exacta de Fisher y chi-cuadrado para la asociación entre los factores y ocurrencia de delirium, prueba de Wilcoxon para las variables numéricas y el modelo de regresión logística para el análisis de los factores predisponentes y precipitantes. Resultados: la incidencia de delirium fue 28% (n=44). El factor edad se presentó como predisponente significativo (p=0,001), seguido del tiempo de cirugía (p<0,001), la transfusión sanguínea (p=0,043), la administración de cristaloides (p=0,008) y antiinflamatorios (p=0,037), estos fueron los factores precipitantes identificados. Se obtuvo como mejor modelo ajustado: edad, tiempo de cirugía, la no administración de antieméticos, el uso de sufentanilo y la transfusión sanguínea. Conclusión: el delirium es un acometimiento frecuente para adultos críticos quirúrgicos y la existencia de factores precipitantes y predisponentes se vuelven relevantes para el desenlace, teniendo el procedimiento anestésico-quirúrgico como evento catalizador.

The effect of pre-operative sleep quality on post-operative pain and emergence agitation: prospective and cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to investigate the effect of pre-operative sleep quality on post-operative pain and emergence agitation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study was performed 80 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II and 18-65 years of age. The patients were divided into poor (Group A, n = 40) and good sleep quality (Group B, n = 40). All patients were operated on under standard general anesthesia. The emergence agitation and pain status of all groups were evaluated in the recovery room and post-operative period. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the groups regarding demographic data. Post-operative numeric rating scale scores and analgesic consumption were significantly higher in Group A than in Group B (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups regarding post-operative emergence agitation and extubation quality (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In our study, poor pre-operative sleep quality increases post-operative pain and analgesic consumption; however, emergence agitation is not associated with sleep quality in the pre-operative period.

OBJETIVO: Nuestro estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar el efecto de la calidad del sueño preoperatorio sobre el dolor posoperatorio y la agitación de emergencia. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Nuestro estudio se realizó en 80 pacientes con ASA I-II y de 18 a 65 años de edad. Los pacientes se dividieron en mala (grupo A, n = 40) y buena calidad del sueño (grupo B, n = 40). Todos los pacientes fueron operados bajo anestesia general estándar. La agitación de emergencia y el estado del dolor de todos los grupos se evaluaron en la sala de recuperación y en el período postoperatorio. RESULTADOS: No hubo diferencia significativa entre los grupos con respecto a los datos demográficos. Las puntuaciones NRS postoperatorias y el consumo de analgésicos fueron significativamente más altos en el Grupo A que en el Grupo B (p < 0.05). No hubo diferencia significativa entre los grupos con respecto a la agitación de emergencia postoperatoria y la calidad de la extubación (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIÓN: En nuestro estudio, la mala calidad del sueño preoperatorio aumenta el dolor posoperatorio y el consumo de analgésicos; sin embargo, la agitación de emergencia no se asocia con la calidad del sueño en el período preoperatorio.

The impact of emergence delirium on hospital length of stay for children who underwent tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy: an observational retrospective study

Abstract Background Emergence Delirium (ED) is a combination of disturbance of perception and psychomotor agitation that is common in pediatric patients after general anesthesia, especially at preschool age. Since the effect of ED on the length of stay has been studied in adults but infrequently in children, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ED and length of stay in this population. Methods A single center, retrospective, observational study was carried out in children who underwent tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. The Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale was used to assess ED. In addition to the time to hospital discharge (time frame 24 hours), drugs used, comorbidities, early postoperative complications, and pain were investigated if potentially associated with the complication. Results Four hundred sixteen children aged from 1.5 to 10 years (183 female, 233 male) were included. ED occurred in 25.5% of patients (n = 106). Patients were divided into the ED group and the No-ED group. The discharge time was similar in both groups. No significant differences were observed in the frequency of postoperative complications. The use of fentanyl or dexmedetomidine did not affect ED occurrence. The frequency of pain was greater in the ED group, both in the recovery room and in the ward (p= 0.01). Conclusions The occurrence of ED in children after tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy did not extend the length of stay.

Effect of seasons on delirium in postoperative critically ill patients: a retrospective analysis

Abstract Background and objectives Postoperative delirium is common in critically ill patients and is known to have several predisposing and precipitating factors. Seasonality affects cognitive function which has a more dysfunctional pattern during winter. We, therefore, aimed to test whether seasonal variation is associated with the occurrence of delirium and hospital Length Of Stay (LOS) in critically ill non-cardiac surgical populations. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of adult patients recovering from non-cardiac surgery at the Cleveland Clinic between March 2013 and March 2018 who stayed in Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) for at least 48 hours and had daily Confusion Assessment Method Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) assessments for delirium. The incidence of delirium and LOS were summarized by season and compared using chi-square test and non-parametric tests, respectively. A logistic regression model was used to assess the association between delirium and LOS with seasons, adjusted for potential confounding variables. Results Among 2300 patients admitted to SICU after non-cardiac surgeries, 1267 (55%) had postoperative delirium. The incidence of delirium was 55% in spring, 54% in summer, 55% in fall and 57% in winter, which was not significantly different over the four seasons (p= 0.69). The median LOS was 12 days (IQR = [8, 19]) overall. There was a significant difference in LOS across the four seasons (p= 0.018). LOS during summer was 12% longer (95% CI: 1.04, 1.21; p= 0.002) than in winter. Conclusions In adult non-cardiac critically ill surgical patients, the incidence of postoperative delirium is not associated with season. Noticeably, LOS was longer in summer than in winter.

DEX, Delirium and Dilemma.

Dexmedetomidine has been subjected to an extensive evaluation for its' role in the prevention of postoperative delirium following cardiac surgery. In striking contrast to the preexisting meta-analysis supporting postoperative delirium-reduction with dexmedetomidine, few recently concluded multicentric large scale randomized controlled trials suggest otherwise. This article aims to present a nuanced perspective of the evolving controversy by attempting to decode the apparent incongruences in the literature accumulating off-late, which is particularly pertinent amidst an ever-escalating heterogeneity in the current research ecosystem.

Comparison of intravenous and inhalation anesthesia on postoperative behavior changes in children undergoing ambulatory endoscopic procedures: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Early and delayed behavioral changes are well recognized after anesthesia. Intravenous anesthesia may prevent emergence delirium. However, it has not been evaluated as a preventive strategy for delayed postoperative behavior changes. AIMS: We aimed to determine whether intravenous anesthesia is effective at reducing postoperative behavior changes in children undergoing ambulatory endoscopic procedures when compared to inhalation anesthesia. METHODS: This randomized, double-blinded controlled trial was approved by the local IRB. Children aged 1-12 years who underwent ambulatory endoscopic procedures were recruited. Preoperative anxiety was evaluated through the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale. All children underwent face mask inhalation induction with sevoflurane. After a peripheral line was placed, each child was allocated to sevoflurane or propofol maintenance. Emergence delirium was evaluated through the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale. The child was discharged home, and behavioral changes were assessed through the Posthospitalization Behavior Questionnaire for Ambulatory Surgery on Days 1, 7, and 14. RESULTS: Overall, 175 children were enrolled. On Day 1 after the procedure, 57 children presented at least one negative behavior. On Days 7 and 14, 49 and 44 children presented at least one negative behavior, respectively. The median number of negative behaviors was similar between the groups. Post hoc analyses showed a moderate correlation between emergence delirium and negative postoperative behavior on Day 7 (r = .34; p = <.001) and an increase of 3.31 (95% CI 1.90; 4.36 p < .001) points in the mean summed score of new negative behaviors for individuals with emergence delirium. CONCLUSION: The incidence of postoperative behavior changes in children undergoing ambulatory endoscopic procedures was similar when comparing intravenous with inhalation anesthesia. Children who experience emergence delirium might show a greater incidence of negative postoperative behavior changes.

Effect of seasons on delirium in postoperative critically ill patients: a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Postoperative delirium is common in critically ill patients and is known to have several predisposing and precipitating factors. Seasonality affects cognitive function which has a more dysfunctional pattern during winter. We, therefore, aimed to test whether seasonal variation is associated with the occurrence of delirium and hospital Length Of Stay (LOS) in critically ill non-cardiac surgical populations. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of adult patients recovering from non-cardiac surgery at the Cleveland Clinic between March 2013 and March 2018 who stayed in Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) for at least 48 hours and had daily Confusion Assessment Method Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) assessments for delirium. The incidence of delirium and LOS were summarized by season and compared using chi-square test and non-parametric tests, respectively. A logistic regression model was used to assess the association between delirium and LOS with seasons, adjusted for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: Among 2300 patients admitted to SICU after non-cardiac surgeries, 1267 (55%) had postoperative delirium. The incidence of delirium was 55% in spring, 54% in summer, 55% in fall and 57% in winter, which was not significantly different over the four seasons (p = 0.69). The median LOS was 12 days (IQR = [8, 19]) overall. There was a significant difference in LOS across the four seasons (p = 0.018). LOS during summer was 12% longer (95% CI: 1.04, 1.21; p = 0.002) than in winter. CONCLUSIONS: In adult non-cardiac critically ill surgical patients, the incidence of postoperative delirium is not associated with season. Noticeably, LOS was longer in summer than in winter.

The impact of emergence delirium on hospital length of stay for children who underwent tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy: an observational retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Emergence Delirium (ED) is a combination of disturbance of perception and psychomotor agitation that is common in pediatric patients after general anesthesia, especially at preschool age. Since the effect of ED on the length of stay has been studied in adults but infrequently in children, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ED and length of stay in this population. METHODS: A single center, retrospective, observational study was carried out in children who underwent tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. The Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale was used to assess ED. In addition to the time to hospital discharge (time frame 24 hours), drugs used, comorbidities, early postoperative complications, and pain were investigated if potentially associated with the complication. RESULTS: Four hundred sixteen children aged from 1.5 to 10 years (183 female, 233 male) were included. ED occurred in 25.5% of patients (n = 106). Patients were divided into the ED group and the No-ED group. The discharge time was similar in both groups. No significant differences were observed in the frequency of postoperative complications. The use of fentanyl or dexmedetomidine did not affect ED occurrence. The frequency of pain was greater in the ED group, both in the recovery room and in the ward (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of ED in children after tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy did not extend the length of stay.

Validation of Nursing Outcome Indicators in Patients with Postsurgical Delirium.

Objective: To validate the content of the indicators proposed from the Nursing Outcome Classification in a care plan for delirium management in older adults. Methods: Content validity study, conducted under the expert judgment technique. The procedure was developed in five moments: organization of indicators that respond to the nursing outcome classification for delirium management, support with literature of the indicators that responds to the result, selection of experts, establishment of agreements, and discussion. Quality criteria evaluated: pertinence and relevance, the Content Validity Coefficient and average scores assigned by the experts were calculated. Results: The study had the participation of 14 experts. The indicators, according to criteria of pertinence and relevance evaluated by experts showed a global average content index value of 0.93; 97.05% (66) of the indicators had Content Validity Coefficient > 0.75. Conclusion: The quantitative findings of the indicator validation process showed high relevance and pertinence index, which favors their being applied to measure care changes in patients with delirium.

Spanish version of the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale: translation and cross-cultural adaptation.

BACKGROUND: Emergence delirium (ED) is a mental disturbance in children during recovery from general anaesthesia. The Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale is the only validated scale that assesses ED in paediatric patients undergoing general anaesthesia. The aim of this study was the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PAED scale into Spanish (Chile).  METHODS: A five-stage translation and cross-cultural adaptation process was carried out. The reliability of the Spanish version of the PAED scale was evaluated in paediatric patients independently by a set of two raters (anaesthesiologists or postanaesthesia care unit nurses) in the postanaesthetic period after major outpatient surgery. ED was defined by a cut-off level of ≥ 10 points on the PAED scale.  RESULTS: The PAED scale was evaluated in 353 consecutive children. Patients had a mean age of 7.4 ± 3.22 years. The preoperative ASA Physical Status class was 62%, 37%, and 1% (ASA class I, II and III, respectively). The distribution of patients by service was as follows: 45% of patients underwent paediatric surgery; 33% underwent otorhinolaryngological surgery; 11% underwent orthopaedic surgery; 10% underwent ophthalmological surgery; and 1% underwent other types of surgery. The interrater agreement ranged from 96.9% to 97.9%, with Kappa values ranging from 0.59 to 0.79. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.91. The ED global incidence was 9.1% and was higher in the younger age groups (3-10 years). CONCLUSIONS: The translated and cross-culturally adapted Spanish version of the PAED scale is a reliable instrument to measure ED in the postanaesthetic period in Chilean children.

The effect of two different doses of dexmedetomidine to prevent emergence agitation in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate different doses of dexmedetomidine for the prevention of emergence agitation in children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. METHOD: One hundred and thirty children aged 3-10 years scheduled for adenotonsillectomy were randomly assigned to two groups. Anesthesia was induced with 0.5 µg.kg-1 dexmedetomidine (DEX 0.5 group) or 1 µg.kg-1 dexmedetomidine (DEX 1 group) at the beginning of surgery. Observers who recorded the data in the postanesthesia care unit were blinded to the allocation. The primary outcome was the percentage of emergence agitation. The times to spontaneous breath, awake, extubate, and postanesthesia care unit stay were also recorded. RESULTS: One hundred twenty four children were randomized into two groups. Five children were excluded because of adverse events and dropout (DEX 0.5 group, n = 58; DEX 1 group, n = 62). No significant differences were noted in the percentage of emergence agitation between the two groups. The times to extubation (p = 0.003), awake, and postanesthesia care unit stay in DEX 0.5 group were shorter than those in DEX 1 group (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the time to spontaneous breath. Approximately 8% of patients in DEX 0.5 group and 18% patients in DEX 1 group presented low SpO2, showing a significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: A dose of 0.5 µg.kg-1 dexmedetomidine was equally effective as 1 µg.kg-1 dexmedetomidine in preventing emergence agitation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is currently completed recruitment, registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (ID:NCT03760809). Inclusion began on 4 January, 2019.

Emergence delirium in children: a Brazilian survey.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric emergence delirium is characterized by a disturbance of a child's awareness during the early postoperative period that manifests as disorientation, altered attention and perception. The incidence of emergence delirium varies between 18% and 80% depending on risk factors and how it is measured. Reports from Canada, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and France demonstrated a wide range of preventive measures and definitions, indicating that there is a lack of clarity regarding emergence delirium. We aimed to assess the practices and beliefs among Brazilian anesthesiologists regarding emergence delirium. METHODS: A web-based survey was developed using REDCap®. A link and QR Code were sent by email to all Brazilian anesthesiologists associated with the Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology (SBA). RESULTS: We collected 671 completed questionnaires. The majority of respondents (97%) considered emergence delirium a relevant adverse event. Thirty-two percent of respondents reported routinely administrating medication to prevent emergence delirium, with clonidine (16%) and propofol (15%) being the most commonly prescribed medications. More than 70% of respondents reported a high level of patient and parent anxiety, a previous history of emergence delirium, and untreated pain as risk factors for emergence delirium. Regarding treatment, thirty-five percent of respondents reported using propofol, followed by midazolam (26%). CONCLUSION: Although most respondents considered emergence delirium a relevant adverse event, only one-third of them routinely applied preventive measures. Clonidine and propofol were the first choices for pharmacological prevention. For treatment, propofol and midazolam were the most commonly prescribed medications.

Inadequate emergence after anesthesia for elective cancer surgery: a single-center cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate emergence after anesthesia (IEA) is a common phenomenon in adult patients undergoing anesthesia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and determinants of IEA for elective cancer surgery, and to study its influence on the quality of recovery. METHODS: In this observational, prospective study, 148 patients scheduled for elective cancer surgery were included. IEA was considered for patients having emergence delirium or hypoactive emergence applying The Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) 10 minutes after admission at PACU. Postoperative Quality of Recovery Scale (PQRS) was used at baseline and after surgery at minutes 15 (T15) and 40 (T40), and days 1 (D1) and 3 (D3). RESULTS: Of the 148 patients, 48 (32%) had IEA. Complete recovery at PQRS was less frequent in patients with IEA on physiological domain at T15 and D1, and activities of daily living domain at D3. Patients with IEA recovered more frequently in emotive domain at T15, T40, and D3. Determinants of IEA were age, risk of surgery, congestive heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, ASA physical status, RCRI score, and duration of anesthesia. IEA patients had more frequently postoperative delirium and stayed for longer at PACU and at the hospital. CONCLUSION: IEA was a common phenomenon after anesthesia for elective curative surgery for cancer. Patients with IEA were older and had more comorbidities and a higher surgical risk. Patients with IEA had a less frequent complete recovery on the PD and in AD domains, and a more frequent complete recovery on the ED.

Delirium de emergencia en anestesia pediátrica / Emergency delirium in pediatric anesthesia

Emergency delirium (ED) is characterized by inattention, irritability, disorientation, and hyperactivity that occurs in the period of early anesthetic awakening. It resolves spontaneously and apparently without sequelae, but it is a cause of anxiety for parents who see their children not responding in the way they normally would. The incidence reported in the literature is variable and depends on the definition used, but it is described between 10%-80%. It is associated with the use of powerful halogenated gases, such as sevoflurane and desflurane. Some risk factors for its appearance are age, type of surgery, duration of the intervention and preoperative anxiety. Its diagnosis is clinical and other causes of agitation must be ruled out prior to its diagnosis. There are various pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies that have been tried to prevent its appearance. The treatment is pharmacological using drugs that produce transient sedation, such as propofol, opioids or dexmedetomidine.

El delirium de emergencia (DE) es un cuadro de inatención, irritabilidad, desorientación e hiperactividad que se produce en el período del despertar anestésico precoz. Se resuelve espontáneamente y aparentemente sin secuelas, pero es una causa de ansiedad en padres que ven a sus hijos que no responden de la forma que normalmente lo harían. La incidencia reportada en la literatura es variable y depende de la definición utilizada, pero se describe entre 10% ­ 80%. Se asocia al uso de gases halogenados potentes, como son el sevoflurano y desflurano. Algunos factores de riesgo para su aparición son la edad, tipo de cirugía, duración de la intervención y ansiedad preoperatoria. Su diagnóstico es clínico y debe descartarse otras causas de agitación previo a su diagnóstico. Existen diversas estrategias farmacológicas y no farmacológicas que se han intentado para prevenir su aparición. El tratamiento es farmacológico utilizando fármacos que produzcan sedación transitoria, como son el propofol, opioides o midazolam.