title: Experience with Guillain-Barré syndrome in a neurological Intensive Care Unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Guillain-Barré syndrome, an acute polyradiculoneuropathy that presents with weakness and areflexia, is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis. In certain patients, respiratory failure is secondary to this disorder, eventually causing patients to require mechanical ventilation and experience additional complications due to diminished respiratory support and related mobility limitations. Prognoses for most of these cases are positive; treatment consists of basic support combined with plasmapheresis or administration of immunoglobulins.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to describe the socio-demographic, clinical, laboratory and neurophysiological characteristics of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome who were hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit of the Neurological Institute of Colombia between 2006 and 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study presents a case series.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We surveyed 25 patients (32% female and 68% male) with Guillain-Barré syndrome and an average age of 54 years. Sixty per cent of these patients were admitted between days 3 and 7 after symptom onset; 64% had a history of respiratory infection and 20% had a history of intestinal infection. In addition, 84% of the patients presented with albuminocytological dissociation. We observed the following clinical subtypes of Guillain-Barré syndrome: inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in 32%, acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy in 28%, acute motor axonal neuropathy in 28%, and Miller Fisher syndrome in 12%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this descriptive study of a group of critical care patients with GBS, results depended on patients' clinical severity at time of admission. Our findings are similar to results published in the international literature.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. Electronic address: paulina264@gmail.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Neuróloga, Universidad Nacional de Bogotá
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia; Neuróloga, Universidad Nacional de Bogotá; Profesor de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Neurólogo UCI INDEC; Intensivistas, Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, INDEC, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia; Neuróloga, Universidad Nacional de Bogotá; Profesor de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Neurólogo UCI INDEC; Intensivistas, Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, INDEC, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Arango
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia; Neuróloga, Universidad Nacional de Bogotá; Profesor de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Neurólogo UCI INDEC; Intensivistas, Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, INDEC, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.affiliation: Profesor de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Neurólogo UCI INDEC.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Uribe
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia; Neuróloga, Universidad Nacional de Bogotá; Profesor de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Neurólogo UCI INDEC; Intensivistas, Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, INDEC, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sará
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia; Neuróloga, Universidad Nacional de Bogotá; Profesor de Neurología, Universidad de Antioquia, Neurólogo UCI INDEC; Intensivistas, Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, INDEC, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: López de Mesa
authors.affiliation: Intensivistas, Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, INDEC, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hernández
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009462:Neurology; D010956:Plasmapheresis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Critical care; Cuidado crítico; Falla ventilatoria; Guillain-Barré; Intensive Care Unit; Miller-Fisher; Respiratory failure; Special Care Unit; Unidad de Cuidados Especiales; Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos