title: Long term intubation and successful weaning in two children with Guillain-Barre syndrome.
abstract: No definite criteria exists in Guillian-Barre syndrome in children regarding prolonged ventilation through an endo-tracheal tube without tracheostomy and successful weaning using a T-piece. Here we report two such cases of Guillian-Barre syndrome requiring prolonged intubation for 56 days and ventilation for 30 days and ultimately successfully weaning them using the T-piece. Both the children eventually made a complete recovery, highlighting the point that in children prolonged intubation and ventilation using the portex tube is equally good, if not, better than tracheostomy with its attendant risks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Al-Khod 123 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Javed
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Koul
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chacko
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fazalullah
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D008297:Male; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000295:instrumentation*