Successful caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia in a pregnant woman with guillain-barré syndrome: a case report from a resource-limited setting.
- 1Department of Anesthesiology, Kasturba Medical College Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
- 2Department of Anesthesiology, Kasturba Medical College Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India. [email protected].
- 3Department of Anaesthesiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India. [email protected].
Abstract
Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare but serious neurological condition due to autonomic instability, decreased respiratory function, and unpredictable medication responses, which can make pregnancy difficult and provide considerable anaesthetic issues. We report a case of a 23-year-old primigravida at 33 weeks of gestation who developed acute motor-sensory neuropathy consistent with GBS and subsequently required emergency caesarean delivery. In a remote healthcare setting with limited airway and ventilatory resources, spinal anaesthesia was chosen after a multidisciplinary evaluation as the patient had stable respiratory function, with no bulbar involvement, and a potentially difficult airway. The intraoperative and postoperative periods were uneventful, and no neurological deterioration was observed. This case shows that, in certain GBS parturients, spinal anaesthesia can be a safe substitute for general anaesthesia, especially in settings with limited resources. Additionally, it emphasises the management of neuromuscular illness in high-risk obstetric patients by coordinated decision-making, meticulous monitoring, and individualized assessment.
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BibTeX
@article{naik2026successful,
title = {{Successful caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia in a pregnant woman with guillain-barré syndrome: a case report from a resource-limited setting.}},
author = {Shilpa A Naik and Prathvi B and Ranjan R K},
journal = {BMC anesthesiology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12871-026-04060-y},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42967992},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Successful caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia in a pregnant woman with guillain-barré syndrome: a case report from a resource-limited setting.
AU - Shilpa A Naik
AU - Prathvi B
AU - Ranjan R K
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/05
JO - BMC anesthesiology
DO - 10.1186/s12871-026-04060-y
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42967992
AB - Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare but serious neurological condition due to autonomic instability, decreased respiratory function, and unpredictable medication responses, which can make pregnancy difficult and provide considerable anaesthetic issues. We report a case of a 23-year-old primigravida at 33 weeks of gestation who developed acute motor-sensory neuropathy consistent with GBS and subsequently required emergency caesarean delivery. In a remote healthcare setting with limited airway and ventilatory resources, spinal anaesthesia was chosen after a multidisciplinary evaluation as the patient had stable respiratory function, with no bulbar involvement, and a potentially difficult airway. The intraoperative and postoperative periods were uneventful, and no neurological deterioration was observed. This case shows that, in certain GBS parturients, spinal anaesthesia can be a safe substitute for general anaesthesia, especially in settings with limited resources. Additionally, it emphasises the management of neuromuscular illness in high-risk obstetric patients by coordinated decision-making, meticulous monitoring, and individualized assessment.
SN - 1471-2253
ER -