Endomyocardial Biopsy

Your doctor suspects that you may have a problem with your heart muscle. Doctors are able to take an actual biopsy or small tissue sample of the heart by going through a vein in your neck or groin. This procedure is called an endomyocardial biopsy.

The biopsy samples will be microscopically analyzed and the information obtained will assist your doctor in the diagnosis and management of your heart condition. Biopsies are useful in monitoring diseases of the heart caused by infection, inflammatory processes, chemotherapy or the effects of radiation. Biopsies are frequently performed following heart transplantation to assess and monitor rejection.

To prepare for the procedure, the doctor may order lab work, an ECG and a chest x-ray. Except for medications, you should have nothing to eat or drink six hours before the procedure. Your doctor or nurse will be available to answer questions before you sign the consent form.

You will be taken to the cardiac catheterization laboratory where the cardiologist and a team of skilled nurses and technicians will perform the procedure.

After novocaine, a numbing medication, is used, the physician will insert a flexible plastic tube called a sheath into a vein in your neck or groin. Through this sheath, a catheter called a pulmonary artery catheter will be guided into the right side of the heart. Pressures inside the heart can be measured and will provide your doctor with valuable information. The pulmonary artery catheter is then removed. A special device called a biotome is guided through the sheath into the heart where three or four tissue samples approximately 2.0 to 3.0 millimeters in size will be obtained.

After the procedure, the sheath will be removed and you will return to your hospital room. The nurses will monitor your vital signs for two to four hours. If you doctor feels it is safe, you may go home the same day.

Please contact your physician or nurse with any questions or concerns.