Abstract
Endomyocardial biopsy (EB) is the preferred procedure for post-heart transplant rejection diagnosis. The rigid bioptome technique has been used due to its greater simplicity and has been criticized for the potential risk of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). We aimed to review all the EBs performed by this technique in a tertiary center and estimate the rate of complications and/or aggravation of TR. Cross-sectional, retrospective, anterograde study. Data were collected from 729 EBs performed in 55 post-heart transplant patients with a rigid Scholten Novatome™ bioptome between September 2012 to March 2022. All EBs were performed via the right jugular vein under local anesthesia and through micro-puncture and ultrasound guidance. A total of 729 procedures had an echocardiography performed before and after the procedures. The estimate of TR was categorized as absent, minimal, mild, moderate, and severe. McNemar's chi-square test was used to analyze the degree of pre- and post-EB TR. There was a worsening enough to become moderate or severe post-biopsy TR in two (0.27%) procedures, and there was a slight change in TR from minimal to mild TR in 25 (3.42%) procedures. In 729 percutaneous EBs performed with a rigid bioptome, there was no myocardial perforation, cardiac tamponade or pneumothorax. One death occurred within 24 hours after the procedure for an unknown reason. EB using a rigid bioptome is safe and has not been associated with worsening TR in a follow-up of 729 EBs performed after cardiac transplantation. The overall complication rate, including moderate to severe TR, was 0.81%. The mortality rate was 0.14%.