Research into an improvement in Valsalva Manoeuvre for SVT

[RichardE]

This seems like a very interesting piece of research into the valsalva vagus technique for stopping SVTs.

discover.dc.nihr.ac.uk/port...

[Jakisu]

Thanks for the article Richard. This is what they did for me in Brighton, hours thumping at 170 then dropped to 90 in a heartbeat! Then a slow lowering to 70 by the time I went home. I can DIY in future

[Devine75]

I had never heard of this until I found this site. Wish I'd known of it sooner x

[Jakisu in reply to Devine75]

Some in here use the lying down and legs up the wall position to slow things down. Haven't done that yet, but good to have as an option.

[RichardE in reply to Jakisu]

I think the modified technique is to raise your legs *after* the straining. I think it is to cause a further rush of blood to the heart and so trigger the vagus nerve to slow things down. There's a video demonstrating it here :

youtu.be/8DIRiOA_OsA(Not working as expected?)

[Jakisu]

Very cool and useful for others to see. When it was used on me my legs were at 90'! Thanks R

[HD97]

Thanks for posting this. I was involved in the trial and was amazed with the results. I now use it at home when suffering from a prolonged episode. My A & E department gave me a syringe which I keep at home to blow into whilst sat with back at a 45' angle, then after 30 minutes I lie with legs up in the air. Feeling my heart kick back into normal beat is the best feeling ever!

[RichardE in reply to HD97]

Now the results are published, hopefully Cardiologists will start promoting the modified technique more widely.

Know what you mean about feeling the return to a normal beat. Everything goes back to a nice peaceful calm

[HD97]

I meant 30 seconds!!

[Lenma]

I was taught years ago a slightly modified version: get down on the floor right away with legs at 45 degrees and then do the Valsava. Sometimes works with me. Might be worth trying if other means fail.

I've also found my own ways: breathing in and gulping for example. Sometimes even coughing, bringing the tummy in and then breathing out forcefully. So experimenting for a personal solution might be worth trying.

[RichardE in reply to Lenma]

Thanks, certainly worth a try.

I also have a few of my own additions to the Valsalva; drinking a very cold glass of water first and like you, coughing. I'm not sure how much effect these additional things have but I do think it helps to experiment to find the best way for the techniques to work for you.