Users reported relief in 92% of cases, with high degrees of effectiveness and ease of use
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
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| The Forced Inspiratory Suction and Swallow Tool (FISST) is designed to stop hiccups in one to two attempts. It was invented at UT Health San Antonio. Image courtesy JAMA Network Open |
In the publication, the scientists coined a new term for the intervention: the "forced inspiratory suction and swallow tool," or FISST.
The team also reported the results of a survey of 249 users who were asked whether it is superior to hiccup home remedies such as breathing into a paper bag.
Researchers
from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health
San Antonio) and colleagues worldwide describe a new science-based intervention
for hiccups in a research letter published June 18 in the journal JAMA
Network Open.
The need
"Hiccups
are occasionally annoying for some people, but for others they significantly
impact quality of life," said Ali Seifi, MD, associate professor of
neurosurgery in UT Health San Antonio's Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of
Medicine. 
Next, flying cars? Probably not.
Also, the FISST straw is not available on Amazon. Yet.
"This includes many patients with brain and stroke injury, and
cancer patients. We had a couple of cancer patients in this study. Some
chemotherapies cause hiccups."
Simple
tool
FISST
is a rigid drinking tube with an inlet valve that requires forceful suction to
draw water from a cup into the mouth. The suction and swallow simultaneously
stimulate two nerves, the phrenic and vagus nerves, to relieve hiccups.
Forceful
suction induces the diaphragm, a sheaf of muscle that inflates the lungs during
breathing, to contract. The suction and swallow also prompt the epiglottis, a
flap that covers the windpipe during swallowing, to close. This ends the hiccup
spasms.
User
feedback
FISST
stopped hiccups in nearly 92% of cases, users self-reported. In terms of
satisfaction, 226 of 249 participants (90.8%) affirmatively answered questions
about whether they found the tool easy to use.
On
a different measure, subjective effectiveness, 183 of 203 participants (90.1%)
indicated that FISST was effective when they used it. Fewer participants
answered this question, possibly because it was last in the survey, Dr. Seifi
said.
The
tool, developed at UT Health San Antonio by Dr. Seifi with input from medical
students, is being marketed by a Colorado company under a license agreement
with the university and has been accepted by a major supermarket chain to be
placed on shelves, Dr. Seifi said.
About
the study
The
research project began with 600 individuals who, because they stated they had
hiccups, received FISST. Of this population, 290 persons responded to a survey
about their experience with using the device, compared to other remedies they
have used. Of them, 249 fully answered the survey and were included in the
research analysis.
The
scale was 1 to 5, with 5 meaning the respondents were very happy with FISST and
1 meaning that they preferred to use home remedies.
The
respondents were primarily adults over 18 (70%) and were half female and half
male. Nearly 80% of the respondents were white.
As
far as frequency of hiccups, 69% reported having them at least once a month,
and most cases (65%) were transient, less than two hours in duration.
Clinical
trial is goal
Future
directions include conducting a double-blind clinical trial in Europe and
America that gives FISST to one group of trial enrollees and a non-functional,
sham device to another group. The challenge is developing something that
resembles FISST but doesn't work, Dr. Seifi said.
