The Risk Factors Associated with Delirium in Neonates Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Delirium is a critical neurological condition that can manifest abruptly in individuals of all ages, encompassing infants, children, and adolescents. Investigating the factors related to delirium is essential to identify at-risk populations and to offer fundamental data for developing intervention strategies for sick neonates and infants. The present study aimed was to investigate the risk factors associated with the development of delerium in neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Iran. This descriptive, cross-sectional study involved 243 infants with admitted to NICU at four hospitals. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, and the cornell assessment of pediatric delirium scale. The logestic regression model considering a 5% significance level were conducted to examination of study aim. Out of 243 infants who participated in this study, 40 percent of them had delirium and130 of them were male. Birth weight and gestational age of infants were 2801.8 ± 670.9 grams and 35.87 ± 2.34 weeks respectively. stay at isolation room was related with hospitalization at isolation room (PV < 0.001).The mean The apgar first minuts was assocted with delirium (PV = 0.004). The no feeding bas neen increased the odds of delrium 10.87 times rather than gavage feeding (OR: 10.87 (1.53, 76.9)), PV = 0.017). The diagnosis and treatment of neonates with delirium is a new area in neonatal medicine and there is limited information on assessment tools, best practice and potential side effects of treatment. However, clinicians should be aware that untreated delirium in this population has potential developmental consequences and consider intervention when appropriate. Therefore, screening of infants in the NICU with a focus on risk factors is recommended.