Routine Surveillance Endomyocardial Biopsy: Late Rejection After Heart Transplantation

Background. Transplant programs use routine surveillance endomyocardial biopsies (RSEMB), which are performed at preset intervals to diagnose cardiac rejection. This retrospective study determined the incidence of graft rejection detected by RSEMB. Methods. The records of 95 patients who underwent heart transplantation between 1987 and 1995 were reviewed. Rejection incidence was recorded for 80 patients who survived at least 30 days, with a mean follow-up of 35 months. Results. One thousand five hundred sixteen total biopsies were performed; 1,170 were RSEMB. Four hundred seventy-five total rejection episodes occurred and 269 (56%) were diagnosed by RSEMB. Two distinct patient groups were identified. The majority (70 patients), had a decline in the incidence of rejection and no rejection episodes were identified by RSEMB after 36 months. In contrast, the high rejection group (10 patients) had a significantly higher ongoing rejection rate (p ≤ 0.04 to p ≤ 0.001) throughout their postoperative course up to 72 months. Conclusions. The majority of our transplant patients demonstrate a decrease in rejection with time and do not require RSEMB beyond 30 months. We identified a group of patients who exhibited a higher rate of rejection and need continued RSEMB.