diff --git a/lib/compress.js b/lib/compress.js
index 11f3311f..f6fe538d 100644
--- a/lib/compress.js
+++ b/lib/compress.js
@@ -823,8 +823,7 @@ merge(Compressor.prototype, {
                     if (node === expr) {
                         found = true;
                         if (node instanceof AST_VarDef) {
-                            var orig = node.name.definition().orig;
-                            orig.splice(orig.indexOf(node.name), 1);
+                            remove(node.name.definition().orig, node.name);
                         }
                         return in_list ? MAP.skip : null;
                     }
@@ -2062,8 +2061,8 @@ merge(Compressor.prototype, {
                                 var var_defs = var_defs_by_id.get(sym.id);
                                 if (var_defs.length > 1 && !def.value) {
                                     compressor.warn("Dropping duplicated definition of variable {name} [{file}:{line},{col}]", template(def.name));
-                                    var_defs.splice(var_defs.indexOf(def), 1);
-                                    sym.orig.splice(sym.orig.indexOf(def.name), 1);
+                                    remove(var_defs, def);
+                                    remove(sym.orig, def.name);
                                     return;
                                 }
                             }
@@ -2096,7 +2095,7 @@ merge(Compressor.prototype, {
                             } else {
                                 compressor[def.name.unreferenced() ? "warn" : "info"]("Dropping unused variable {name} [{file}:{line},{col}]", template(def.name));
                             }
-                            sym.orig.splice(sym.orig.indexOf(def.name), 1);
+                            remove(sym.orig, def.name);
                         }
                     });
                     if (head.length == 0 && tail.length == 1 && tail[0].name instanceof AST_SymbolVar) {
@@ -2104,9 +2103,8 @@ merge(Compressor.prototype, {
                         if (var_defs.length > 1) {
                             var def = tail.pop();
                             compressor.warn("Converting duplicated definition of variable {name} to assignment [{file}:{line},{col}]", template(def.name));
-                            var_defs.splice(var_defs.indexOf(def), 1);
-                            var orig = def.name.definition().orig;
-                            orig.splice(orig.indexOf(def.name), 1);
+                            remove(var_defs, def);
+                            remove(def.name.definition().orig, def.name);
                             side_effects.unshift(make_node(AST_Assign, def, {
                                 operator: "=",
                                 left: make_node(AST_SymbolRef, def.name, def.name),
diff --git a/test/compress/drop-unused.js b/test/compress/drop-unused.js
index c702cfaf..ddf90bfa 100644
--- a/test/compress/drop-unused.js
+++ b/test/compress/drop-unused.js
@@ -1114,3 +1114,36 @@ issue_1838: {
         "}",
     ]
 }
+
+var_catch_toplevel: {
+    options = {
+        conditionals: true,
+        negate_iife: true,
+        reduce_vars: true,
+        side_effects: true,
+        toplevel: true,
+        unused: true,
+    }
+    input: {
+        function f() {
+            a--;
+            try {
+                a++;
+            } catch(a) {
+                if (a) var a;
+                var a = 10;
+            }
+        }
+        f();
+    }
+    expect: {
+        !function() {
+            a--;
+            try {
+                a++;
+            } catch(a) {
+                var a;
+            }
+        }();
+    }
+}