title: Open chest myocardial biopsy: a simple and safe method.
abstract: The authors describe a simple method to perform left ventricular biopsies during open heart surgery. An automatic gun shaped device is used by one hand of the surgeon: the sample is obtained in a few seconds, at any time of the surgical procedure. It consists of a transmural piece of tissue, averaging 18 mm3 in quantity. The device has been used in 20 patients who underwent coronary artery revascularization. All the biopsies were successful. No complications occurred.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Medical School Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Covino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pisani
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Spampinato
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*