RESUMEN
Guillain Barre Syndrome is the most common peripheral neuropathy causing respiratory failure, and about 10-30% of these patients require mechanical ventilation sometimes during their illness. Ninety one children under 15 years old with GBS were studied over a period of 3 years. Thirteen [14.4%] of these patients required assisted ventilation. A comparison was made between the clinical, electrodiagnostic, and laboratory data from patients who required mechanical ventilation and those who did not. Progression to respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation was highly likely to occur in those with younger age [p=0.001], cranial nerve involvement [p=0.03], and loss of deep tendon reflexes in upper limbs [p=0.04], lack of motor unit action potential [p=0.009] or presentation of fibrillation potentials [p<0.0001] on electromyography and markedly attenuated [>80%] CMAP amplitude on nerve conduction study [p<0.0001] were significantly more common in the ventilated group. While inherently unpredictable, the clinical course of patients with severe GBS may be predictable to some extent, on the basis of clinical information and electrodiagnostic findings