Violent hiccups: an infrequent cause of bradyarrhythmias.
A hiccup, or singultus, results from a sudden, simultaneous, vigorous contraction of the diaphragm and inspiratory muscles, accompanied by closure of the glottis. Hiccups can be associated with bradyarrhythmias. The mechanism of this phenomenon is likely hiccup-induced Valsalva maneuver and increased parasympathetic tone. We present a case of a patient with violent hiccups producing a bradyarrhythmia.
Suh
William M
WM
University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Orange CA.
Krishnan
Subramaniam C
SC