We describe the case of a 34-year-old male patient, who was referred to the Instituto Neurológico de Colombia with probable Guillain-Barré syndrome, requiring intensive care management. The presence of cognitive alterations during his evolution, lead the team to reconsider the initial diagnosis for theBickerstaff’s brainstem encephalitis diagnosis. We aim to describe the patient’s treatment and evolution, as well as a brief review and discussion. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7705/biomedica.v33i4.1438