P Somaini, T Deseö, R Hurni, P Marko, S Christen, R Koller, L M Bachmann, J Steurer
Many tests and examinations are used for diagnosing heart failure. Their accuracy tends to vary, echocardiography representing the gold standard. The Valsalva maneuver involves an easy-to-perform test for assessing the cardiac ejection fraction. The present study investigated the power of the Valsalva test in patients who received an echocardiography for various indications. A total of 153 patients were examined, some recruited from private practices, some from different hospitals. An echocardiographically measured left-ventricular ejection fraction of 45% was set as the limit value...
July 13, 2000: Praxis