Resumen

TREJO NAVA, Carlos Alberto. The Valsalva maneuver: A clinical tool. Rev. Mex. Cardiol [online]. 2013, vol.24, n.1, pp.35-40. ISSN 0188-2198.

This article try to remember the Valsalva maneuver, a tool for non-invasive nature and without cost, but forgotten and wasted, able to provide information on the transcendent cause of symptoms such as dyspnea or being a method of hemodynamic assessment of clinical but just as reliable than invasive procedures. Described in 1704 by Antonio Maria Valsalva, as a method of auditory pathways, has had a scope not only in time but in different medical specialties where the maneuver is a tool for the differential diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis. Unfortunately, despite their usefulness, has not become established as a routine procedure in the physical examination. In areas or hospitals where there is no technology for the large costs involved, the Valsalva maneuver may be the factor enabling physicians and health professionals to improve patient care, and thus guide the diagnosis, manage resources available. Describe this technique in a cardiac context, in order to share it, hoping to expand its utility among new generations.

Palabras llave : Valsalva maneuver; heart failure; physical examination; primary health care.