Acute water intoxication after prolonged infusion of oxytocin

The authors report a case of acute water intoxication with severe neurological features which complicated prolonged administration of oxytocin for post-partum hemorrhage. The patient was a 35-year-old woman with a tight mitral stenosis. The patient recovered consciousness after the hydro-electrolytic state had been put right. The precautions that have to be undertaken and the monitoring that is necessary to avoid hyponatraemia with water retention are reviewed. It is important to know the risk factors which are connected with this treatment and how certain abnormal conditions of the heart can play a role in causing this syndrome.