580 Evaluation of the Role of a Long Sheath for Endomyocardial Biopsy Following Heart Transplantation on the Incidence of Tricuspid Regurgitation

Abstract

In the first 12 months following heart transplantation it is standard practice to perform a schedule of endomyocardial biopsies (EMBx) to detect allograft rejection. The commonest cardiac complication of this procedure is tricuspid regurgitation (TR), which is thought to reflect damage to tricuspid valve leaflets or sub-valvular apparatus by the bioptome during its repeated passage across the tricuspid valve. At our institution, we have adopted the use a long sheath which sits directly in the right ventricle to guide the bioptome and avoid repeatedly crossing the tricuspid valve.