 Fauquier ENT News
The Valsalva maneuver is a simple procedure that involves the patient exhaling forcefully against a closed airway, typically by closing the mouth, pinching the nose, and blowing as if trying to inflate a balloon. It is the maneuver used to help clear a clogged ear when flying or swimming deep underwater. Interestingly, this maneuver can also help diagnose serious heart conditions like aortic stenosis or hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, a condition that often leads to sudden death in athletic young adults while exercising. Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is a condition characterized by abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, specifically the interventricular septum, which can lead to obstruction of blood flow... Read the whole entry... » 
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