Effective Treatment of Intraoperative Hiccups With Chlorpromazine Under General Anesthesia Without Muscle Relaxants: A Case Report

Abstract

Hiccups are common reflexes and many treatment methods have been reported. Chlorpromazine is a known treatment option for hiccups, but its efficacy under general anesthesia remains unclear. We report the case of a patient with vagal schwannoma who developed hiccups while under general anesthesia. Muscle relaxants were not used because the patient was under neuromonitoring. The depth of anesthesia was deepened; however, the hiccups did not disappear. The hiccups were relieved by intravenous chlorpromazine administration (total; 5 mg), which allowed for surgery under neuromonitoring. This case indicates that chlorpromazine may be effective to treat hiccups under general anesthesia.

Treatment-resistant hiccups during general anesthesia possibly caused by remimazolam: a case report

“…Indeed, the administration of rocuronium interrupted the hiccups, albeit temporarily, in this case. If muscle relaxants are contraindicated due to the need for intraoperative neuromonitoring or other reasons, chlorpromazine can be used to stop intraoperative hiccups [6]. Alternatively, changing to another anesthetic might be effective in cases of remimazolam-induced hiccups.…”