Guillain-Barré syndrome is an autoimmune disorder in which autoantibodies mainly affect the peripheral nervous system. Autonomic dysfunction is a common and severe complication of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Cardiomyopathy, though, is a rare complication in Guillain-Barré syndrome, with only a few cases reported in the literature. We present a case of a 65-year-old Greek woman with Guillain-Barré syndrome who developed cardiomyopathy shortly after admission to the intensive care unit due to respiratory deterioration. Her estimated left ventricular ejection fraction upon admission was 20%. The result of coronary angiography was negative for coronary artery disease, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging excluded myocarditis. Her clinical condition improved with supportive therapy, and her estimated left ventricular ejection fraction at discharge was normal. Clinicians should be aware of this potentially lethal complication of Guillain-Barré syndrome and the therapeutic options, because early diagnosis can improve prognosis. Routine electrocardiographic and echocardiographic assessments should be performed in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome presenting with hemodynamic instability.

Background: Aneurysm formation is a possible, but rare, complication of granulomatosis with polyangiitis, known as Wegener’s granulomatosis. Urgent diagnosis and therapy is very important because a ruptured aneurysm could be life threatening. Case presentation: We, therefore, present the case of a 63-year-old Greek man who was diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis and retroperitoneal hematoma due to ruptured aneurysm in renal artery and upper pancreaticoduodenal artery. His clinical course was complicated by acute renal failure and acute respiratory failure due to alveolar hemorrhage. Emergency coil embolization was performed. Postembolization recovery was uneventful; no bleeding occurred. The patient underwent mechanical ventilation and continuous veno-venous hemofiltration and received combined immunosuppression and supportive therapy, but eventually died 30 days after admission to hospital from severe septic shock and multiple organ failure. Conclusion: Endovascular treatment is the therapy of choice, especially for patients with ruptured aneurysms that are hemodynamically stable. Early diagnosis is very important, as urgent embolization and early initiation of immunosuppression therapy are the treatment of choice.

It is not unusual for systemic diseases to mimic sepsis and, in any case, the clinician should thoroughly investigate this possibility. We present the case of a 21-year-old Greek woman who presented to the Intensive Care Unit of our hospital with severe septic shock – multiple organ failure as a result of a suspected gynecological infection of the ovaries. An immediate improvement of her clinical condition in combination with strong clinical suspicion and negative cultures led to the differential diagnosis of diseases other than sepsis. Based on the results of the biopsies that were obtained by research laparotomy, our patient suffered from primary Burkitt ovarian lymphoma. Her clinical condition improved with supportive treatment and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the dominant treatment for Burkitt’s lymphoma, while surgery or radiotherapy has no place. All intensivists should be aware of clinical conditions that mimic sepsis as early diagnosis can lead to appropriate therapy and avoid unnecessary diagnostic tests and antibiotic abuse.