Objective:

To describe the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and tracheostomy (TQT), and report the mortality rate in children with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) admitted to a public pediatric hospital in the province of Buenos Aires.

Materials and method:

A descriptive, observational, retrospective, and longitudinal study was conducted. Children aged 1 to 13 years diagnosed with GBS, who were admitted to Hospital de Niños “Sor María Ludovica”, between January 2010 and December 2019 were included. Demographic and clinical variables were registered.

Results:

Thirty-nine children were included, of whom 24 (61%) were male. The median age was 4 years, and 25 (64.1%) were under 5 years old. Sixteen (41%) required IMV, with a median duration of 25 (IQR 3-83) days. Of the ventilated children, 14 (43.7%) required a TQT. All children were successfully weaned from IMV, and 7 (50%) were discharged without decannulation. The use of IMV was similar between the group aged 1 to 5 years and the older age group. No deaths were recorded.

Conclusion:

The IMV requirement was observed in less than 50% of the children; of them, the majority underwent a TQT. All children were successfully weaned from IMV, and half of the tracheostomized children were discharged from hospital with a TQT because they were not suitable for decannulation. All children were discharged alive.

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