TRANSIENT CHANGE IN HEART RHYTHM REVEALIN G A MAJOR GLYCINE INTOXICATION DURING HYSTEROSCOPY

We report the case of a 41-year-old ASA I patient who experienced duri ng endometrial resection a transient idioventricular cardiac rhythm wi th hypotension related to a major glycine intoxication The total volum e of absorbed irrigating fluid was over six liters when these clinical signs occurred. The biological data were as following: Na = 89 mmol . L(-1), Cl = 60 mmol . L(-1) and osmolarity = 215 mOsm . L(-1). Simult aneously, the glycine concentration in the plasma was 54.6 mmol . L(-1 ), i.e 160 times higher than the normal value. The clinical course was unremarkable except vomiting. The treatment included only the adminis tration of a diuretic agent, as the correction of the disorder took pl ace spontaneously. The paucity of clinical symptoms when compared to t he severity of the biological disorders explain why preventive measure s are essential in this type of surgery.