Holding your breath, sipping ice cold water with your head backward are some of many remedies, tips and tricks to stop hiccups, but the results are sometimes disappointing. One researcher has just found a new solution to hiccups using a straw! A recent study published in the journal JAMA presents the results of this new tool.
HiccAway. Image Courtesy of JAMA
Hiccups, a problem for some patients
Hiccups are a sequence of repeated and sometimes noisy jerks that are caused by an involuntary, spasmodic, coordinated contraction of all the respiratory muscles, the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, accompanied by closure of the vocal cords which causes the “hic” sound. “Hiccups are annoying for some people, but for others they have a real impact on their quality of life,” says Ali Seifi, inventor of the straw and lead author of the study. This includes many patients with brain damage, stroke and cancer. Some chemotherapies cause hiccups”.
The idea for this instrument FISST a rigid drinking tube came from his work as an anesthesiologist. In the recovery room, he noticed that many surgical patients developed hiccups, which bothered them after the operation. “There were no obvious medications to alleviate hiccups,” he notes. The only medications prescribed were psychiatric drugs that stopped the spasms but made patients sleepy. Nor are there any devices to treat hiccups. Some devices have been patented or filed for provisional patents, but they have never become available to people.”
More than just a straw, a remedy for hiccups
The principle of the straw developed by Ali Seifi is simple. The tube branded as “HiccAway” must be immersed in a liquid. Then the user has to hold it in and then everything comes together. The tube is equipped with a small valve that resists aspiration, which requires a strong inhalation and contracts the diaphragm of the person trying to drink. Two mechanisms are involved in the cessation of hiccups. First, sucking and swallowing stimulates the epiglottis, an organ of the respiratory system located in the throat that covers the trachea during swallowing. Second, sucking and swallowing at the same time stimulates two nerves the phrenic and vagus which also relieve hiccups.
92% of the test subjects were relived of hiccups
The researchers conducted their study with 249 people, 69% of whom had hiccups for at least once a month and most had them for less than two hours. According to the survey results, the straw helped stop hiccups in 92% of the participants. Just over 90% found the straw easy to use. It is an interesting tool, especially for people with chronic hiccups that can last up to 48 hours and recur regularly.
References
Evaluation of the Forced Inspiratory Suction and Swallow Tool to Stop Hiccups
