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Severe hiccups and intravenous lidocaine
1Université Catholique de Louvain, Cliniques Universitaires de Mont-Godinne, Service des Urgences 1, avenue Dr Therasse, B-5530 Yvoir, Belgium. caroline.boulouffe@mont.ucl.ac.be
Acta Clinica Belgica
|June 6, 2007
Summary
Intravenous lidocaine successfully treated a patient with severe, incapacitating hiccups. This anesthetic agent offers a valuable alternative when standard hiccup treatments fail or cause adverse effects.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Intractable hiccups can significantly impair a patient's quality of life.
- Conventional treatments for hiccups often have limited efficacy or undesirable side effects.
Observation:
- A patient presented with severe, incapacitating hiccups refractory to standard therapies.
- Intravenous administration of lidocaine was initiated for hiccup management.
Findings:
- The patient experienced complete resolution of hiccups following intravenous lidocaine infusion.
- Lidocaine provided a successful and well-tolerated treatment for the severe hiccups.
Implications:
- Intravenous lidocaine represents a potential therapeutic option for managing severe, intractable hiccups.
- This case highlights the utility of lidocaine as an alternative in cases where first-line treatments are contraindicated or ineffective.
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