Modified Valsalva manoeuvre to treat recurrent supraventricular tachycardia: description of the technique and its successful use in a patient with a previous near fatal complication of DC cardioversion

Patients with attacks of re-entrant supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) frequently present to the emergency department (ED). The Valsalva manoeuvre (VM) is the most effective and safe vagal manoeuvre and advocated as the first-line treatment in stable patients but has a relatively low cardioversion success rate. Improving its efficacy would reduce patients' exposure to the side effects and complications of second-line treatments and has other potential benefits. We describe a modification to the VM, which is currently being studied, and present the case of a 23-year-old patient who was successfully treated with this modified VM after a previous near-fatal complication of direct current (DC) cardioversion.RD&E staff can access the full-text of this article by clicking on the 'Additional Link' above and logging in with NHS OpenAthens if prompted

A Simple Device to Control Valsalva Manoeuvre Strain Pressure; a Letter to Editor.

This letter is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Additional Link above to access via the publisher's site

Levosimendan use in critical care - a case series

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Levosimendan is a calcium sensitiser that enhances myocardial contractility without increasing myocardial oxygen consumption or adversely affecting diastolic function. Whilst theoretically attractive, lack of outcome data in critically ill patients means that it is not yet established in intensive care practice. We have been using levosimendan on our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for more than 6 years and the data presented here represents one of the largest case series on the use of levosimendan in this setting.This article is freely available via Open Access from the publisher's site. Click on the 'Additional Link' above to access it from the publisher's website

Testing of a novel Valsalva Assist Device with supine and modified positions in healthy volunteers.

The Valsalva manoeuvre (VM) is used to treat supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) by inducing a vagal response (drop in HR). There is debate as to the best position in which to carry out the VM and how the strain should be delivered in practice. We aimed to compare vagal responses induced with supine and modified VMs using strains delivered with a standardised manometer or novel Valsalva Assist Device (VAD), a simple device to provide resistance to exhalation.This article is available to RD&E staff - please log in with NHS OpenAthens if prompted.Accepted manuscrip

PP23 Evaluation of pre-hospital use of a valsalva assist device (VAD) in the Emergency treatment of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) [EVADE]. A randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Background Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a common heart rhythm disorder. The Valsalva Manoeuvre (VM) is a safe, internationally recommended, initial treatment, but has a low success rate in normal practice. Recent studies have shown much better cardioversion rates, approaching 50%, can be achieved using a postural modification (the modified VM) and a manometer controlled 40 mmHg strain. Successful cardioversion could avoid hospital conveyance and unpleasant treatments, such as adenosine. Routine use of a manometer is not practical out of hospital. Blowing on an empty syringe has been suggested as an alternative but is unreliable in providing correct and consistent pressures. A Valsalva Assist Device (VAD), designed to provide a 40 mmHg strain resistance has been developed. It is small, portable, can be packaged with instructions for the modified VM and if successful, may be left with the patient. Methods We conducted a pragmatic, randomised controlled feasibility trial, comparing VAD versus standard practice delivered VMs. All other aspects of care were according to SWASFT guidelines. Participants were followed up to ask their views on trial procedures. Interim results (month 5 of 6) 23 volunteer Station Leads recruited 22 Study Clinicians from 27 ambulance stations. 29 patients were enrolled over 5 months, 19 in the last 2 months (the first 3 months included steady recruitment and setup). The later enrolment rate extrapolates to a presentation rate of approximately 220 eligible patients to SWASFT each year. Complete data sets were available in 100% of participants. When followed up, participants reported verbal consent to be widely acceptable, although SVT symptoms were substantially distracting for many during this process. Conclusion Our experience of recruitment and data collection suggest a definitive trial, using similar methodology, is possible, but the low occurrence rate may challenge feasibility. Consent taking methods may require refinement for a larger trial

Postural modification to the standard Valsalva manoeuvre for emergency treatment of supraventricular tachycardias (REVERT): A randomised controlled trial

© 2015 Appelboam et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY-ND-NC. Background The Valsalva manoeuvre is an internationally recommended treatment for supraventricular tachycardia, but cardioversion is rare in practice (5-20%), necessitating the use of other treatments including adenosine, which patients often find unpleasant. We assessed whether a postural modification to the Valsalva manoeuvre could improve its effectiveness. Methods We did a randomised controlled, parallel-group trial at emergency departments in England. We randomly allocated adults presenting with supraventricular tachycardia (excluding atrial fibrillation and flutter) in a 1:1 ratio to undergo a modified Valsalva manoeuvre (done semi-recumbent with supine repositioning and passive leg raise immediately after the Valsalva strain), or a standard semi-recumbent Valsalva manoeuvre. A 40 mm Hg pressure, 15 s standardised strain was used in both groups. Randomisation, stratified by centre, was done centrally and independently, with allocation with serially numbered, opaque, sealed, tamper-evident envelopes. Patients and treating clinicians were not masked to allocation. The primary outcome was return to sinus rhythm at 1 min after intervention, determined by the treating clinician and electrocardiogram and confirmed by an investigator masked to treatment allocation. This study is registered with Current Controlled Trials (ISRCTN67937027). Findings We enrolled 433 participants between Jan 11, 2013, and Dec 29, 2014. Excluding second attendance by five participants, 214 participants in each group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. 37 (17%) of 214 participants assigned to standard Valsalva manoeuvre achieved sinus rhythm compared with 93 (43%) of 214 in the modified Valsalva manoeuvre group (adjusted odds ratio 3·7 (95% CI 2·3-5·8;

Randomised evaluation of modified valsalva effectiveness in re-entrant tachycardias (REVERT) study

Introduction: The Valsalva manoeuvre (VM) is a recommended first-line physical treatment for patients with re-entrant supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), but is often ineffective in standard practice. A failed VM is typically followed by treatment with intravenous adenosine, which patients often find unpleasant. VM effectiveness might be improved by a modification to posture which exaggerates the manoeuvre's vagal response and reduces the need for further emergency treatment. Methods and analysis: This is a multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial in 10 UK emergency departments (EDs). It compares a standard VM with a modified VM incorporating leg elevation and a supine posture after a standardised strain in stable adult patients presenting to the ED with SVT. The primary outcome measure is return to sinus rhythm on a 12-lead ECG. Secondary outcome measures include the need for treatment with adenosine or other antiarrhythmic treatments and the time patients spend in the ED. We plan to recruit approximately 372 patients, with 80% power to demonstrate an absolute improvement in cardioversion rate of 12%. An improvement of this magnitude through the use of a modified VM would be of significant benefit to patients and healthcare providers, and justify a change to standard practice. Ethics and dissemination: The study has been approved by the South West - Exeter Research Ethics Committee (REC reference 12/SW/0281). The trial will be published in an international peer reviewed journal. Study findings will be sent to the European and International resuscitation councils to inform future revisions of arrhythmia management guidelines. Results: The trial will also be disseminated at international conferences and to patients through the Arrhythmia Alliance, a patient support charity. Registration: The study is registered with Current Controlled Trials (ISRCTN67937027) and has been adopted by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network

Geometric semi-automatic analysis of radiographs of Colles’ fractures

Fractures of the wrist are common in Emergency Departments, where some patients are treated with a procedure called Manipulation under Anaesthesia. In some cases, this procedure is unsuccessful and patients need to revisit the hospital where they undergo surgery to treat the fracture. This work describes a geometric semi-automatic image analysis algorithm to analyse and compare the x-rays of healthy controls and patients with dorsally displaced wrist fractures (Colles’ fractures) who were treated with Manipulation under Anaesthesia. A series of 161 posterior-anterior radiographs from healthy controls and patients with Colles’ fractures were acquired and analysed. The patients’ group was further subdivided according to the outcome of the procedure (successful/unsuccessful) and pre- or post-intervention creating five groups in total (healthy, pre-successful, pre-unsuccessful, post-successful, post-unsuccessful). The semi-automatic analysis consisted of manual location of three landmarks (finger, lunate and radial styloid) and automatic processing to generate 32 geometric and texture measurements, which may be related to conditions such as osteoporosis and swelling of the wrist. Statistical differences were found between patients and controls, as well as between pre- and post-intervention, but not between the procedures. The most distinct measurements were those of texture. Although the study includes a relatively low number of cases and measurements, the statistical differences are encouraging