Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Expiratory effort when the mouth is closed and the nostrils are pinched shut, which forces air into the eustachian tubes and increases pressure on the inside of the eardrum.
- noun Expiratory effort against a closed glottis, which increases pressure within the thoracic cavity, causing decreased venous return of blood to the heart and a transient drop in blood pressure.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[After Antonio Maria Valsalva, (1666–1723), Italian anatomist.]
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ruzuzu commented on the word Valsalva maneuver
"The Valsalva maneuver or Valsalva manoeuvre is performed by moderately forceful attempted exhalation against a closed airway, usually done by closing one's mouth, pinching one's nose shut while pressing out as if blowing up a balloon. Variations of the maneuver can be used either in medical examination as a test of cardiac function and autonomic nervous control of the heart, or to "clear" the ears and sinuses (that is, to equalize pressure between them) when ambient pressure changes, as in diving, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or aviation.
The technique is named after Antonio Maria Valsalva, a 17th-century physician and anatomist from Bologna whose principal scientific interest was the human ear. He described the Eustachian tube and the maneuver to test its patency (openness). He also described the use of this maneuver to expel pus from the middle ear."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valsalva_maneuver&oldid=524412648
December 23, 2012