Differentiating pain and delirium is only part of assessing the agitated childResponse to Manworren RCB, Paulos CL, Pop R: Treating children for acute agitation in the PACU: Differentiating pain and emergence delirium. J Perianesth Nurs 19:183–193, 2004

Abstract

We read with interest the recent paper by Manworren et al,1 regarding differentiation of pain and emergence delirium in children. Although this article nicely addresses the challenge of assessing the agitated child, we believe that several issues related to agitation require elaboration and clarification. Firstly, the phrase “emergence delirium” has, until recently, been used as a catchall term to describe the agitated child in the postoperative setting. It is important that perianesthesia care providers understand that agitation describes a behavior that can indicate any number of sources, including pain, delirium, physiological compromise, or anxiety.