To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) following trauma or surgery and explore factors influencing short-term prognosis. Methods: Clinical data and serum levels of inflammatory markers were collected from 25 patients with trauma- or surgery-related GBS who were treated at the Department of Neurology of Tongji Hospital from January 2016 to June 2022. The factors influencing short-term prognosis were analyzed. Results: Among the 25 patients with trauma- or surgery-related GBS, 21 were males and 4 were females, and the mean age was 49.6±12.6 years. In terms of seasons, the onset of symptoms mainly occurred in summer and autumn. The average interval from trauma or surgery to onset of GBS symptoms was 11.4±7.2 days, and the interval from onset to peak GBS symptoms was 9.6± 5.4 days. On admission, the mean Hughes score was 3.36±1.31, and the total Medical Research Council (MRC) Scale score was 30.56±16.78; 28% of the patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for further treatment, and 24% of the patients had respiratory myasthenia or needed ventilation support for dyspneic respiration. Overall, 17 patients (68%) received intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and three (12%) received plasmapheresis. Three patients (12% ) died during hospitalization. The average length of hospital stay was 22.7±11.6 days. Based on the Hughes score at discharge, patients were assigned to the poor short-term prognosis group (Hughes score≥3) (n=14 patients) or the better short-term prognosis group (Hughes score<3) (n=11 patients). Compared with that noted in the better short-term prognosis group, the clinical characteristics in the poor short-term prognosis group were as follows: older patients (P=0.002), lower Hughes score and total MRC score at admission (P<0.001), and higher proportion of patients admitted to the ICU (P=0.021) and requiring ventilation support (P= 0.043). Regarding serum inflammatory markers, the serum neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CRP/Alb) were significantly higher in the poor short-term prognosis group than in the better short-term prognosis group (P=0.005/0.048), whereas the serum uric acid levels were significantly lower in the poor short-term prognosis group (P=0.003). Moreover, the proportion of patients with positive IgG anti-GM1-antibodies was higher in the poor short-term prognosis group than in the better short-term prognosis group (P=0.010). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the total MRC score at admission and NLR were risk factors for poor short-term prognosis in patients with trauma-related or surgery-related GBS. Conclusion: Patients with trauma- or surgery-related GBS predominantly presented with severe GBS with a poor short-term prognosis. The total MRC score at admission and NLR were risk factors for a poor short-term prognosis.