Heart Diagnostic Tests

Myocardial Biopsy

A myocardial biopsy (also called a heart biopsy or cardiac biopsy) is a procedure used to look for cardiac disorders or evaluate a heart after a transplant. During this test, you’ll be given medication and fluid through an IV in your arm. You’ll be mildly sedated, but you’ll stay awake during the procedure. Your doctor will insert a plastic tube into a blood vessel in your neck and feed a catheter through the tube. The catheter will be used to collect a small sample of heart muscle (about the size of the end of a pin). X-rays will be used to help navigate the catheter to the correct area of the heart. The procedure takes about an hour and requires a few hours of recovery. You can go home the same day of the procedure.