Southern medical journal
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The word "hiccup" refers to an involuntary, spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm that is followed by the abrupt closure of the glottis to produce the characteristic sound. Among the many documented causes of this occurrence are those due to neurogenic dysfunction. ⋯ We describe a postsurgical patient in whom two successive intravenous infusions of lidocaine, 1.5 mg/kg followed the next day by 0.75 mg/kg, terminated his hiccup twice, whereas multiple other treatments failed to alleviate the problem. Various causes of this phenomenon are discussed, as well as a possible mechanism for the successful treatment.