ICU Cases · Seizures & weakness
Guillain-Barre syndrome — the ascending weakness
A short case on GBS — the ascending flaccid paralysis, the FVC/NIF intubation criteria, the IVIG, and the autonomic monitoring.
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Prompt
A 40-year-old presents with a 5-day history of ascending weakness, areflexia and breathlessness. Discuss the assessment and the management.
Presentation
A 40-year-old man presents with a 5-day history of the progressive ascending weakness (the legs first, now the arms), the areflexia, and the breathlessness (the FVC of 22 mL/kg, the NIF of -25 cmH2O). He had a gastroenteritis 2 weeks ago. The examination shows the flaccid, the symmetrical, the ascending paralysis with the absent reflexes.[1]
References2ShowHide
- [1]Bersten AD, Soni N (eds) Oh's Intensive Care Manual. 8th edition, Elsevier, 2018.
- [2]Marino PL The ICU Book. 4th edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2014.