Antonio Valsalva

Antonio Valsalva was an Italian anatomist and physiologist known for describing the Valsalva maneuver, a technique where you forcibly exhale against a closed airway, like closing your mouth and pinching your nose while blowing out. This maneuver affects blood flow and pressure in the chest and head, which is useful in medical testing and diagnosis. It’s commonly used to equalize ear pressure, clear the middle ear, and assess heart function. Valsalva's work helped deepen our understanding of how pressure changes influence cardiovascular and ear health.