Background and aim: Although nuchal cord is a common occurrence at birth, there is little attention to its importance or management at birth, and teaching includes premature clamping and cutting of the cord as the common option.  Although grade 1 evidence is lacking, the optimal management of the nuchal cord,  the Somersault manoeuvre  is not taught or included in any current guidelines. What e...

To assess whether Valsalva's manoeuvre might cause variceal bleeding, 22 patients with oesophageal varices were studied. In 12 patients who received no previous treatment to their varices the median pressure gradient across the varix wall at rest was 19 (6-36) mmHg, and in 10 patients whose varices were thrombosed at their distal end the median pressure gradient in the proximal patent varix was...

The pattern of pulmonary blood flow was studied in three patients after a total cavopulmonary shunt procedure. Doppler studies showed a phasic pattern of flow which varied with the respiratory cycle. Pulmonary blood flow was increased with normal inspiration, and was much augmented by the Mueller manoeuvre. This suggests that flow was occurring when a negative intrathoracic pressure was generat...

Baroreflex sensitivity was measured in a group of diabetic patients from the slope of the regression of pulse interval on systolic arterial pressure, during elevation of pressure induced by phenylephrine. The response to Valsalva's manoeuvre was assessed in the same subjects. There was a good correlation between the two tests in the identification of patients with a parasympathetic autonomic di...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the characteristics of post-laryngectomy patients, including nasal endoscopy findings, that affect subjective smell improvement in the post-surgical period. METHODS Thirty patients who had undergone total laryngectomy participated in at least three sessions of a smell rehabilitation programme involving the nasal airflow-inducing manoeuvre, under the supervision of a spee...

Hypothesis / aims of study Previous studies have shown that there is a substantial variation in the intra-abdominal pressures generated during the valsalva manoeuvre . This is an important observation because many research investigations use the valsalva manoeuvre to assess other parameters such as bladder neck mobility and degree of pelvic organ prolapse. The potential to reduce the variation ...

Treatment of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is based on Semont's Liberatory Manoeuvre and on so-called "Canalith Repositioning Manoeuvres", derived from the original Epley technique. Both manoeuvres are very effective and choice of which to use depends on the experience of the physician. Semont's manoeuvre requires a quick movement of the patient in mass in the frontal plane, from the inv...

BACKGROUND The "Escort" spirometer is a lightweight, hand held spirometer employing a Fleisch pneumotachograph. Measurements of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and peak expiratory flow (PEF) are obtained from a single FVC manoeuvre. Results are displayed on a small liquid crystal display, but there is no graphical display. The performance of the Escor...

BACKGROUND Ultrasound allows observation of the thickness of the diaphragm in the zone of apposition in vivo during relaxation and maximum inspiratory efforts. METHODS Changes of diaphragm thickness were studied by B mode (two dimensional) ultrasound in 13 healthy men aged 29-54 years in the seated position. A high resolution 7.5 MHz ultrasound transducer was held perpendicular to the chest w...

The left ventricular response to the Valsalva manoeuvre was studied in 5 normal subjects (group 1), 6 diabetics without autonomic neuropathy (group 2), and 5 diabetics with autonomic neuropathy (group 3), using the maximum amplitude of the praecordial accelerocardiogram (DE) as a noninvasive index of left ventricular performance. During the Valsalva manoeuvre DE decreased in all 3 groups. In gr...