Transcription:
Abstract. A 60-year-old man with acute pancreatitis developed persistent hiccups after insertion of a nasogastric tube. Removal of the latter did not terminate the hiccups which had also been treated with different drugs, and several manoeuvres were attempted, but with no success. Digital rectal massage was then performed resulting in abrupt cessation of the hiccups. Recurrence of the hiccups occurred several hours later, and again, they were terminated immediately with digital rectal massage. No other recurrences were observed. This is the second reported case associating cessation of intractable hiccups with digital rectal massage. We suggest that this manoeuvre should be considered in cases of intractable hiccups before proceeding with pharmacological agents.
Initiating a vasovagal response to treat hiccups can in some cases result in transient asystole and potentially even death in those with cardiac compromise. This treatment method should be used with caution. As hiccups are often related to vagus irritation and tone issues, though, this might work by “resetting” a threshold.
Or a translation for you non medical types: Don’t randomly go digging around in people’s butts to cure hiccups or you might kill them.
