Related Experiment Videos
Prognosis in severe Guillain-Barré syndrome
Insights
In children with Guillain-Barré syndrome, the need for mechanical ventilation does not predict a poor neurological outcome. Unlike in adults, assisted ventilation in pediatric cases may not indicate a worse prognosis for recovery.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare neurological disorder.
- In adults, the need for assisted ventilation in GBS correlates with poor outcomes.
- Plasmapheresis is often indicated by the need for ventilation in adult GBS cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prognostic significance of assisted ventilation in pediatric Guillain-Barré syndrome.
- To compare outcomes of children with GBS requiring mechanical ventilation to adult data.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 11 pediatric patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation.
- Analysis of mortality and neurological recovery in the studied cohort.
Main Results:
- Two out of 11 children (18%) died during the acute phase of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
- Nine out of 11 children (82%) achieved an excellent neurological recovery.
- Mechanical ventilation was not associated with a poor neurological outcome in this pediatric cohort.
Conclusions:
- The need for mechanical ventilation in children with Guillain-Barré syndrome does not appear to be a negative prognostic factor for neurological recovery.
- Findings suggest that GBS management and outcome prediction may differ between pediatric and adult populations.
Abstract:
Recent studies of Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults have shown that the requirement for assisted ventilation correlates closely with a poor outcome, and the need for ventilation is now being used as an indication for plasmapheresis. As comparable studies in children have not been performed we reviewed our experience of patients who had Guillain-Barré syndrome severe enough to require assisted ventilation. In a group of 11 children two died in the acute stage of the illness and nine made an excellent recovery. It would seem that the need for mechanical ventilation is not necessarily a bad prognostic factor for neurological recovery in children.