J Pediatr Intensive Care 2013; 02(03): 121-126
DOI: 10.3233/PIC-13060
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart – New York

Quetiapine as treatment for delirium in critically ill children: A case series

Chani Traube
a   Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
,
Robert Witcher
b   Department of Pharmacology, NY Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
,
Elena Mendez-Rico
b   Department of Pharmacology, NY Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
,
Gabrielle Silver
c   Department of Child Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
› Author Affiliations

Subject Editor:
Further Information

Publication History

13 July 2013

15 October 2013

Publication Date:
28 July 2015 (online)

Abstract

Delirium occurs in a substantial number of critically ill children and may contribute to increased hospital length of stay, and short- and long-term morbidity. Children with delirium may benefit from early pharmacologic treatment. In this case series, we describe four critically ill children, ranging from eight months to 14 years of age, who were prescribed quetiapine as treatment for delirium. In all four patients, delirium improved within 24 hours of initiation of quetiapine. With proven efficacy in adults with delirium, an established track record in children for indications other than delirium, and a favorable safety profile, quetiapine may be a therapeutic option in treating delirium in critically ill children. The time has come for a prospective, blinded study of quetiapine as treatment for pediatric delirium.