Cardioversion for Intractable Hiccups: A Frightening Cure

To the Editor: Several simple and benign approaches for the treatment of chronic singultus have been reported in the Journal.^{1 2 3} We describe the unexpected resolution of intractable hiccups in a patient who underwent cardioversion for ventricular tachycardia. A 67-year-old man had three-vessel coronary bypass surgery after a myocardial infarction. His recovery was complicated by a perioperative myocardial infarction, ileus, pulmonary embolus, hiccups, and recurrent ventricular tachycardia. The hiccups were unaffected by chlorpromazine, compazine, diazepam, and lorazepam. Nifedipine, a remedy described in the Journal,¹ also proved unsuccessful. The patient's most debilitating problem, however, was his ventricular tachycardia. Failure to…, No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.