A neuro-intensive care physician at UT Health San Antonio has invented a science-based way to stop hiccups.
While he was working as an anesthesiologist 20 years ago, Ali Seifi, MD, FACP, FNCS, saw many surgery patients in the recovery room who developed hiccups. The annoying spasming of the diaphragm is even more of a nuisance when one has had surgery.
“I was thinking, how can I improve this?” Dr. Seifi said.
His brainchild is shaped like a smoker’s pipe. On one end, the tube has two pinholes on opposite sides. These are covered by a valve or cap that can be adjusted for adult or child settings. This end is to be submerged into a cup of water.
The other end is a mouthpiece from which the user draws water through the pipe. The device is called HiccAway, a name conceived by medical students and residents attending rounds with Dr. Seifi.