MRI update

• by Tracie H
• 2010-07-12 06:07:10
• Conditions, Meds & Tests
• 1552 views
• 7 comments

Earlier today, I had an MRI even tho I have a pacemaker. Yes, it can now be done (on a limited basis)! Here's how it went:

There are only three hospitals in the country that do MRI's on people with PMs. I went to Mayo, the nurse told me the other two are out east but she didn't mention them by name. There are two criteria required to do this:
1. Not be pacemaker dependent and
2. not have an ICD.
If you meet those two criteria, you can be imaged.

Prior to the imaging, I met with the cardiac nurse who interrogated the device and to hear all the terrible things that could happen. She told me they've done 54 MRI's on 44 people at Mayo. There have been no complications during or after. They took blood, looking at cardiac enzymes for a baseline. Labs will need to be drawn again 24 hours later and compared. After the labs were drawn, the cardiac nurse told me all the possible ways I could die while in the machine (boy, was that fun!):
- cardiac arrest
- device heating up and burning
- the leads heating up and cauterizing my heart
- cardiac enzymes building and creating problems
So, after signing my life away on their waiver, we went to the MRI. There were a lot of people there to make sure everything went fine. Two nurses, the pacemaker nurse, a physicist and two radiologists. They turned off my pacemaker and hooked me up to two ECG's. They reviewed the things to feel for (heat, burning, tingling or anything else that "doesn't feel right"). They told me the magnet used would provide a lesser pull, therefore I most likely won't feel anything. I was so nervous as they brought me in!!!!! I was expecting my device to start to burn and/or pull right away, but I was happily wrong. I did not feel ANYTHING throughout the 45 minute procedure! It was amazing. I actually fell asleep! For people with PMs, they put you into the machine feet first to have faster access to your heart/chest if there are any complications so it was great to have my head almost out of the machine - it really alleviated the clausterphobia (that's not spelled right, sorry). Afterwards, the cardiac nurse turned on the device, interrogated it and gave me the okay to go home.
It was a surprisingly easy and fast procedure. No sedation, no problems. The only thing that bothered me was all the support and professionals that was needed to make sure all went smoothly. I felt uncomfortable with all that attention!
One thing I learned was if you do have an MRI (by choice or if you are in an accident or something) without this specific protocol, your chances of dying are 100%. They did tell me that people who were put into MRI machines and the ER didn't know they had a PM, all died. So, like you wouldn't ride a bike without a helmet, I hope everyone has a medical alert bracelet or whatever to notify emergency personnel. Just my little own PSA.
If anyone has questions about having an MRI - just ask. Hope this helps you!

:) Tracie