about mri

Are any of the pacemaker manufactures working on pacemakers that will allow us recipients to have an MRI? I heard that this type of pacemaker is being worked on.

flb

2 Comments

yes, but

by Tracey_E - 2008-11-14 11:11:58

They have developed a new pm that is compatible with an mri. If you search the archives back a month or so you will see a link to an article about it. They are also working on new mri machines that are safer for existing pm's, some hospitals have them now. I am excited to see that they are getting closer but after a conversation with a friend who is a radiologist, I would not even consider it. The problem isn't the pm, it's the leads and the damage they will do to your heart. So, the research is optimistic but in reality I think it's still a ways off for most of us, esp for those of us who already have pm's with leads not specifically developed to be safe with an mri. I do think it's a reality in the next few years for new pm recipients.

MRI problems

by ElectricFrank - 2008-11-15 12:11:05

As Tracey mentioned the main issue with the MRI is that the energy is high enough to create heating in the pacemaker leads and can burn the vein or heart. So if they come out with a new system it would require that we have our old leads removed and replaced. This isn't a simple procedure.

The new MRI design does a better job of keeping the energy confined to the area being imaged. That would allow an MRI of the lower part of the body and possible the brain.

frank

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