Anesthesia for cesarean section in a patient with Guillain-Barre syndrome: case report

Guillain-Barre syndrome during pregnancy is considered a rare neurological complication, and there is no consensus in literature for anesthetic management for cesarean section in such patients. The objective of this paper is to report the case of a pregnant woman with Guillain-Barre syndrome undergoing cesarean section.

Female patient, 22-year old, 35 weeks and 5 days of gestation, undergoing cesarean section, hospitalized, reporting decreased strength and lower limb paresthesias. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed increased protein (304 mg.dL-1) without increased cellularity. The anesthetic technique used was general anesthesia induced with propofol (1.5 mg.kg-1) and maintained with 2% sevoflurane in oxygen and fentanyl (3 μg.kg⁻¹). The procedure was uneventful for both mother and neonate. The patient was discharged 10 days after admission, after progressive improvement of neurological symptoms.

The anesthetic technique for pregnant women with Guillain-Barre syndrome requiring cesarean section remains at the discretion of the anesthesiologist, who should be guided by the clinical conditions and comorbidities of each patient.