Phrenic Nerve

Causes of Frequent Hiccups

Hiccups are a common ailment that that occurs when the diaphragm involuntary contracts and cause the throat to spasm. Hiccups can vary in frequency and occur up to 60 times a minute, according to KidsGrowth.com. While most of the time hiccups are...

Side Effects of Laproscopy

Laparoscopy is a type of surgical technique. In laparoscopy, a small incision is made in the abdomen or pelvis. A small tube is placed into the abdominal space, and carbon dioxide gas is used to inflate the abdomen. Other small incisions are made...

How to Get Rid of Hiccups Quickly

Hiccups occur when your diaphragm suddenly contracts, according to NYU Langdone Medical Center. This is usually followed by the closure of your vocal cords, which produces the typical hiccup sound. Hiccups are caused when the phrenic nerve becomes...

Hiccup Causes

Hiccups, or hiccoughs, occur when the diaphragm contracts involuntarily. The diaphragm is the muscle separating your chest cavity from the stomach. The sound of the hiccup is made when the vocal cords close rapidly with the contractions of the...

What Are the Treatments for Hiccups?

Hiccups-amusing when other people have them but annoying when you get them-are a common enough affliction that most people have a favorite way to cure them. But for some people, persistent hiccups lasting more than 48 hours or intractable hiccups...

About Hiccups

Just about everyone experiences hiccups, also known as hiccoughs or singultus. Most people experience them as an amusing interlude or an embarrassing inconvenience, but for some, hiccups can persist for months with serious side effects. Causes...

How Is Your Breathing Rate Controlled?

Breathing rate is primarily regulated by neural and chemical mechanisms. Respiration is controlled by spontaneous neural discharge from the brain to nerves that innervate respiratory muscles. The primary respiratory muscle is the diaphragm, which...

Cures for Persistent Hiccups

Hiccups, an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, cause the vocal cords to produce the "hic" sound as they close. In the medical field, hiccups are known as singultus. If hiccups last longer than 48 hours, seek medical attention. The doctor...

Causes of Hiccups in Adults

The diaphragm muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen contracts and relaxes to move air in and out of the lungs. Hiccups or hiccoughs occur when the diaphragm spasms rhythmically. With each contraction of the diaphragm, the vocal cords...

What Are the Dangers of Cardiac Ablation?

The procedure known as cardiac ablation involves the application of a high-frequency jolt of electricity to the heart in order to correct an irregular heartbeat. A cardiologist inserts a catheter tube through a small incision in the groin, arm or...

Cures for the Hiccups

Hiccups are more annoying than they are serious. Persistent hiccups should be evaluated by a medical professional, but, in most cases, a few, simple habit changes can prevent hiccups. The Mayo Clinic explains that hiccups can be caused by things...

10 Ways to Get Rid of Hiccups

Perhaps one of the most common natural bodily functions that a person can experience, hiccups have been known to also be quite the annoyance. Many different home remedies and urban legends exist regarding possible cures for hiccups, which are...

Cardiac Ablation Complications

A cardiac ablation is a medical procedure that corrects heart arrhythmias by inserting a catheter into a blood vessel in the groin and leading it to the heart. After placing the catheter, the physician uses electrical impulses to scar the area of...

Causes of Hiccups

Hiccups are the result of involuntary diaphragmatic contractions. The diaphragm is the muscle separating the thoracic (chest) cavity from the abdomen, and is the primary muscle of respiration. The hiccup sound is heard when the vocal cords...

Side Effects of Cardiac Radio Frequency Ablation

Normal heart function is regulated by electrical flow throughout heart tissue, which maintains a regular beat and rhythm. Sometimes, disruptions in the normal flow of electricity can cause disturbances in heart beat and/or rhythm. In...

Symptoms of Central Type Lung Cancer

Certain types of lung cancers are more likely to be found near the center of the lungs. Examples include squamous cell carcinoma, bronchogenic carcinoma, typical bronchial carcinoid and small cell carcinoma. Diagnosis is made by taking tissue...

How the Human Respiratory System Works

Respiration consists of ventilation--the movement of air in (inspiration) and out (expiration) of the lungs--and gaseous exchange across the alveolar membranes in the lungs. Oxygen is extracted from the air and carbon dioxide removed from the...

Causes of the Hiccups

Hiccups occur when the diaphragm (the muscle separating the lung and abdominal cavities that plays an important role in breathing) starts to involuntarily contract, causing a rapid closing of the vocal cords. There are many relatively minor causes...

How to Get Rid of the Hiccups

Hiccups are named for the odd sound made when your diaphragm convulses, causing an air gulp and closing the glottis at the top of the air passage with a "hickha" sound. The cause and remedies are speculative, but many think the accidental reflex...

Factors That Affect Respiration

A region of the brain stem called the medulla contains the respiratory center, which controls the body's respiratory rate. This respiratory center stimulates the phrenic nerves that innervate the diaphragm and the intercostal nerves that innervate...

Hiccups Causes

Hiccups are episodes of involuntary diaphragm muscle contractions. The "hiccup" sound occurs when the vocal cords rapidly close with the contractions. Typically, hiccup episodes only last for a few minutes. Sometimes, they can persist for months...

What Causes Hiccups in Humans?

Hiccups are an involuntary reflex caused by sudden spasms of the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavities. The glottis---a tissue flap that protects the airway during swallowing---snaps shut as the diaphragm spasms,...

How to Make Hiccups Go Away

Hiccups are often caused by damage to or irritation of the phrenic and vagus nerves that control the diaphragm. The diaphragm then spasms involuntarily, causing the hiccups. Some of the possible causes of hiccups include eating too quickly,...

Hiccups Health Video (Video)

Hiccups are spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm that typically repeat several times per minute. They are quite common and generally disappear on their own. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of hiccups in this video.