Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium (CAPD)
Delirium affects 25% of children in the PICU, according to a Komansky Center-led study that screened patients at 25 PICUs in the United States, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Saudi Arabia. Our doctors and nurses are leaders in monitoring for and managing this potentially dangerous condition. We have identified a host of risk factors for developing delirium, including staying in the PICU for over five days, being on a ventilator, being on oxygen, or taking a sedative or narcotic. To combat this, we have implemented practices such as ensuring that children are able to get out of bed and move around even while hooked up to machines; keeping their sleep-wake cycles consistent; eliminating physical restraints; and more closely involving families. The simple, low-cost screening tool we developed to evaluate patients, the Cornell Assessment for Pediatric Delirium (CAPD), is now used all over the world, and has helped reduce needless suffering for thousands of critically ill children.