Effectiveness of the Valsalva Manoeuvre for reversion of supraventricular tachycardia

2015 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Management of Adult Patients With Supraventricular Tachycardia

“…32 Patients with PSVT who are referred to specialized centers for management with ablation are younger, have an equal sex distribution, and have a low frequency of cardiovascular disease. [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] The frequency of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is greater in women than in men. This may be due to an actual higher incidence in women, or it may reflect referral bias.…”

Diagnosis and management of supraventricular tachycardias

“…16 An updated Cochrane review of the effectiveness of the Valsalva manoeuvre found a reversion rate varying from 19.4% to 54.3%. 17 Recently, Appelboam and colleagues 18 compared the standard Valsalva manoeuvre with a modified one consisting of performing the manoeuvre in the same semi-recumbent position but, immediately after the Valsalva strain, having patients lie flat and raising their legs to 45° for 15 seconds. The modified manoeuvre was found to be significantly more effective in terminating the SVT (43% v. 17%).…”

Leg Lift Valsalva Maneuver for Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardias

“…6,13 A study published in 2010 by Walk and Cutting showed the highest rate of acute cardioversion in a clinical setting (31%) using a modified Trendelenberg version of Valsalva, where patients place their heads between their knees. 12 The 43% of participants who cardioverted using the postural modification of Valsalva described in this controlled trial was substantially higher than with any other reported technique for emergency treatment of SVT.…”