Mortality of Guillain-Barre syndrome in intensive care unite

Background: This study aims of determination of hospitalization period of cases with Guillain-
Barre syndrome (GBS) in Intensive cave unite (ICU), determination of ration of cases needing
mechanical ventilation and determination of effective factors on morbidity and mortality.
Methods and Materials: We evaluated retrospectively 80 medical records with GBS that admitted
to ICU ward Imam Khomeini Hospital between July 1999 to July 2004. Using chi-square, Exact
Fisher’s and t-tests, these cases were studied in terms of complication, mortality rate and death
causes in ICU.
Results: 55 patiets (68.7%) were male and 25 (31.2%) were female. Average of admission time to
ICU was 19.7 days. 27 patients (33.7%) had needed mechanical ventilation and 19 (23.7%)
infected by pneumonia. There was a statistically significant association between pneumonia and
mechanical ventilation (P<0.001). Mortality and morbidity were significantly high in association
with axonal type of syndrome (p<0.050). The most frequent complications were septicenimia and
autonomic dysfunction. Six patients (7%) ultimately died.
Conclusions: Considering the fact that the most common complication was septicemia and
autonomic dysfunction and there was a significant relationship between duration of hospitalization
and septicemia, enhancing the quality of intensive care could be effective in reducing mortality and
morbidity rates.