What is a Valsalva test and how to conduct it?

valsalva test
What is a Valsalva test? The process by which targeted expiration occurs. The mouth and nasal passages are closed so that the necessary tension of the abdominal muscle and chest cavity occurs. This method is named after the famous Italian anatomist. But for what purpose is this procedure known today as the Valsalva test?

Using this method, you can effectively expel pus, for example, from the ear cavity with purulent processes that are common in many people today. No wonder such a process is often called Valsalva stress.

Often this procedure is performed, for example, by divers when diving to depth, as well as passengers of the aircraft during takeoff and landing. This helps to regulate the pressure both in the upper sinus of the jaw and in the middle ear.

sinus valsalva
How to carry out such a procedure? Valsalva's test is to take a full breath and take a deep breath with your whole chest. Next, the patient should take another strong exhalation and hold his breath for a short while. Throughout this time, a careful recording of the electrocardiogram is carried out, as well as the mandatory registration of diastolic, systolic blood pressure.

There are several options for this test. In one of the possible, the patient lies on his back. For about 15 seconds, you need to exhale into a special tube connected to a manometer, which creates the necessary pressure in the system (approximately 40 mmHg).

The Valsalva test includes several basic physiological stages. Age, location of the body in space, gender, pressure that is created during deep exhalation, and regular use of certain medications can affect the result of the study.

Often people with a hereditary predisposition to connective tissue diseases have aneurysms. Often you can notice the coronary right affected sinus of Valsalva. The gap often occurs in young people or even in children.

valsalva samples
If you implement a similar (above) method, then the air retention that occurs in the lungs creates a lot of pressure. And such a high pressure in the chest and abdominal cavity limits the return of the necessary venous blood to the heart. This, in turn, can lead to the fact that the amount of blood ejected by the heart into the vessels decreases sharply. From all of the above, it can be concluded that persons who suffer from similar cardiovascular pathologies are strictly prohibited to practice this procedure, especially without the supervision of a doctor.

You can summarize a little. As you can see, Valsalvaโ€™s tests are used for a specific purpose, namely: to assess the likelihood of a sudden fatal outcome in the event of a heart attack, by conducting a special test. In this case, the heart rate is measured , the rhythm variability is estimated. If the result is a low rate, then the risk of sudden death is very high.


All Articles