title: Successful treatment of intractable hiccups by oral application of lidocaine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Persistent and intractable hiccups are a rather rare, but distressing gastrointestinal symptom found in palliative care patients. Although several recommendations for treatment are given, hiccups often persist.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe a new pharmacological approach for successfully treating hiccups in four cancer patients. In the first patient, chronic and intractable hiccups lasted for more than 18 months, but disappeared immediately after swallowing a viscous 2 % lidocaine solution for treatment of mucositis. Based on this experience, we successfully treated three further patients suffering from singultus using a lidocaine-containing gel. To our knowledge, this is the first report about managing hiccups by oral application of a lidocaine solution.
authors: St. Vincenz-Hospital, Auf dem Schafsberg, 65549, Limburg, Germany. t.neuhaus@st-vincenz.de
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Neuhaus
authors: Yon-Dschun
authors: YD
authors: Ko
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Stier
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005782:Gels; D006606:Hiccup / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D005782:Gels; D008012:Lidocaine