Guillain-Barré syndrome after cardiac surgery: diagnostic dilemma

Guillain-Barré syndrome after surgery: a literature review

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare postoperative complication that is sometimes characterized by serious motor weakness and prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation. Although the exact nature of the relationship between GBS and the surgical procedure is still unclear, there is a clear increased incidence of GBS in post-surgical patients compared to non-surgical patients. GBS after surgery is unique in several ways. The course of post-surgical GBS unfolds more rapidly than in other situations where GBS develops, the condition is often more severe, and respiratory muscles are more commonly involved. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are essential, and the condition can worsen if treated inappropriately. Postoperative sedation, intubation, and restraint use make the diagnosis of GBS difficult, as the onset of symptoms of weakness or numbness in those contexts are not obvious. GBS is often misdiagnosed, being attributed to other postoperative complications, and subsequently mishandled. The lack of relevant information further obscures the clinical picture. We sought to better understand post-surgical GBS by performing an analysis of the relevant literature, focusing on clearly documenting the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and management of GBS that emerges following surgery. We underscore the importance of physicians being aware of the possibility of GBS after major surgery and of performing a variety of laboratory clinical investigations early on in suspected cases.

Current status of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in China: a 10-year comprehensive overview

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy; a disease involving the peripheral nervous system which is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis worldwide. So far, it is still lack of a comprehensive overview and understanding of the national epidemiological, clinical characteristics, and the risk factors of GBS in China, as well as differences between China and other countries and regions in these respects. With the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an epidemiological or phenotypic association between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and GBS has attracted great attention. In this review, we outlined the current clinical data of GBS in China by retrieving literature, extracting and synthesizing the data of GBS in China from 2010 to 2021. Besides, we compared the characteristics of epidemiology, preceding events and clinical profiles of GBS between China and other countries and regions. Furthermore, in addition to conventional intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasma exchange (PE) therapy, the potential therapeutic effects with novel medications in GBS, such as complement inhibitors, etc., have become the research focus in treatments. We found that epidemiological and clinical findings of GBS in China are approximately consistent with those in the International GBS Outcome Study (IGOS) cohort. We provided an overall picture of the present clinical status of GBS in China and summarized the global research progress of GBS, aiming to further understand the characteristics of GBS and improve the future work of GBS worldwide, especially in countries with the middle and low incomes.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome-A Rare Cause of Quadriparesis after the Bentall Procedure for Type A Aortic Dissection

Neurological complications following aortic surgery are most often cerebrovascular accidents due to embolism, or spinal infarcts resulting in hemiparesis or hemiplegia. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare cause of quadriparesis. Here, we report a 49-year old male who presented with acute aortic dissection and underwent the Bentall procedure following which he developed quadriparesis, subsequently diagnosed to be a case of Guillain-Barre syndrome. He was successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin.

Fatal Autonomic Dysfunction Due to Guillain-Barré Syndrome After Cardiac Surgery

Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare peripheral neuropathy, appears to occur more often in patients who have recently undergone surgery than in the general population. However, the pathophysiologic relationship between surgery and Guillain-Barré syndrome is elusive. Few cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome after cardiac surgery have been reported. Autonomic dysfunction, a serious complication of Guillain-Barré syndrome, has not been previously reported after cardiac surgery. We describe the case of a 71-year-old woman in whom the acute motor axonal neuropathic subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome developed after mitral valve replacement. Despite plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, she died of complications from severe autonomic dysfunction 25 days postoperatively. Recognizing the potential cardiovascular involvement of Guillain-Barré syndrome is important, because patients who undergo cardiac surgery can be vulnerable to autonomic dysfunction in the early postoperative period.

Guillain-Barré syndrome after aortic, tricuspid, and mitral valve surgery

Guillain-Barré syndrome incidence within 8 weeks of a surgical procedure appears to be more common than previously thought. GBS following open-heart surgery is exceedingly rare, perhaps underdiagnosed or underreported given surveillance data incidence. Clinicians should be keenly aware of this association and quickly consider a GBS diagnosis.

Guillain-Barré syndrome triggered by surgery in a Chinese population: a multicenter retrospective study

Background

Surgery is a potential trigger of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a disorder which leads to an autoimmune-mediated attack of peripheral nerves. The present study was designed to explore clinical features of post-surgical GBS compared with those of general GBS in order to provide better clinical advice to patients undergoing surgery.

Methods

The medical records of GBS patients who were seen at 31 tertiary hospitals in southern China between January 1, 2013 and September 30, 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Post-surgical GBS was defined as symptoms of GBS within 6 weeks after surgery. Clinical features of post-surgical GBS are described and are compared with general GBS.

Results

Among the 1001 GBS patient cases examined in this study, 45 (4.5%) patient cases exhibited symptoms of GBS within 6 weeks of undergoing surgery. Within this group, 36 (80.0%) patients developed initial symptoms of limb weakness. The average interval between surgery and symptom onset was 13.31 days. The most common type of surgery which triggered GBS was orthopedic surgery, followed by neurological surgery. Compared to general GBS, post-surgical GBS was characterized by a higher proportion of severe patients (Hughes functional grading scale (HFGS) score ≥ 3) upon admission and at nadir, higher HFGS scores at discharge, and longer hospital stays. Post-surgical GBS patients also had a significantly higher frequency of the acute motor axonal neuropathy subtype (37.9 vs. 14.2, respectively; P = 0.001).

Conclusion

Surgery is probably a potential trigger factor for GBS, especially orthopedic surgery. Infections secondary to surgery may play a role. The possibility of preceding (post-operative) infections was not excluded in this study. Clinical presentation of post-surgical GBS is characterized by a more severe course and poorer prognosis, and should be closely monitored.

Trial registration

chicTR-RRc-17,014,152.

Postoperative Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a Neurologic Complication that Must Not Be Overlooked: A Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an uncommon, yet life-threatening postoperative neuropathic complication that is easily neglected, and hence, timely treatment is not provided in the clinics. This review aims to summarize the clinical features of postoperative GBS, and thus, improve the understanding of postoperative GBS.

METHODS

We reviewed the literature on postoperative GBS and assessed the demographic information, clinical manifestation, operation, time of onset of postoperative GBS, and prognosis.

RESULTS

A total of 33 cases of postoperative GBS were included in this study. The average age of patients with postoperative GBS was 46.9 years, and there was a peak in occurrence of GBS between ages 50 and 70 years. Men seemed more likely to have postoperative GBS than did women, with a ratio of 2.67:1. Progressive muscular weakness, present in 31 of the cases, was the most common presentation. Patients with spinal surgery were at further increased risk for GBS, and 84.8% of the patients with GBS had a good prognosis after prompt treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgery is probably a potential risk factor for the occurrence of GBS. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are imperative to reduce mortality.