Which patient population is most likely to experience emergence delirium?

Emergence delirium is a phenomenon that occurs when patients emerge from anesthesia and experience confusion, agitation, and altered awareness. This is particularly common in children due to their developmental stage and the varying ways they handle and react to the effects of anesthetics. Children are generally more susceptible to changes in the nervous system during the process of waking up from anesthesia, which can lead to behaviors described as emergence delirium.

In contrast, while adults and aged individuals can sometimes exhibit confusion post-operatively, the incidence of emergence delirium is significantly less prominent in these groups when compared to children. Additionally, patients under local anesthesia are typically conscious and do not experience a deep level of anesthesia, therefore, they are not likely to experience emergence delirium. This makes the pediatric population the most affected and relevant group in discussions surrounding emergence delirium.