Standard Operation Procedure of Percutaneous Endomyocardial Biopsyin Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Percutaneous endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is a technique that biopsy samples are obtained using the bioptome through a peripheral blood vessel. The technique has been used and refined for more than 50 years in clinical application. Now EMB has become an important tool of the diagnosis of myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. The department of cardiology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) has performed more than 500 cases of EMB and accumulated abundant practical experience. The clinical practice guideline of percutaneous EMB was also established in PUMCH, including indications, contradictions, key points of the operation, sample handling and processing, post-procedure monitoring, and the treatment strategy for potential complications, etc. Due to the limitation of EMB, cardiologists should collaborate with experts on echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance and cardiac pathology to decrease the probability of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. Cardiologists should pay much attention to the value of EMB and actively perform EMB to improve the diagnosis level of myocarditis and cardiomyopathy in China.