[Transient arrhythmia disclosing major glycine poisoning during hysteroscopy]

We report the case of a 41-year-old ASA I patient who experienced during endometrial resection a transient idioventricular cardiac rhythm with hypotension related to a major glycine intoxication. The total volume 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. Simultaneously, 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 administration of a diuretic agent, as the correction of the disorder took place spontaneously. The paucity of clinical symptoms when compared to the severity of the biological disorders explain why preventive measures are essential in this type of surgery.