Predictive factors for respiratory failure in Guillain-Barré syndrome

Abstract

Objective. The aim of this work is to identify the predictive factors of respiratory failure in Guillain-Barré syndrome. Method. Electronic research in the MEDLINE, LILACS and SCIELO databases and PUBMED website in order to identify articles published from 1997 to 2007. In the first search it was used the terms “Guillain-Barré syndrome” and “respiratory failure” and in the second one, the terms “Guillain-Barré syndrome” and “respiratory insufficiency”. In PUBMED website it was also used the “limit= adult humans”. Clinical trials, prospective and retrospective studies were selected with adult human beings who had diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome; the studies that involve other diseases were rejected. Results. The first searching strategy brought 163 articles with their respective summaries. According to inclusion criteria, only 6 articles were considered in this review. The second searching strategy brought 57 articles. Although none of them were included. These studies involved 1486 patients, of whom 535 received mechanical ventilation and 951 didn’t. Conclusion. The usual predictive factors are: disability grade in admission, presence of autonomic dysfunction, bulbar dysfunction, generalized areflexia and rapid disease progression. Simple bedside measurements like pulmonary function tests (vital capacity, maximal inspiratory and maximal expiratory pressures) allow respiratory failure prediction by themselves.