MRI

Is there a PM that allows one to have a MRI?

6 Comments

MRI

by Butterflyin2 - 2013-12-21 10:12:12

Moreover, is there an MRI that is safe for your PM? The answer to that is yes. The only place I know of, where you can have an MRI safely is Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. I think you can have a CT done safely if that will work. Good luck.

MRI-safe pacemakers

by golden_snitch - 2013-12-21 10:12:55

Hi!

First of all, Medtronic isn't the only company offering MRI-conditional pacemakers, almost all manufacturers now have devices that are MRI-conditional. Just google, for instance, Boston Scientific, Biotronik or St. Jude + MRI-conditional pacemaker, and you'll find out more. These devices need to be programmed before and after an MRI, so you cannot just go anywhere and have the procedure done.

Johns Hopkins and Mayo are doing MRIs in pacemaker and other cardiac device patients who do not have one of the new MRI-conditioned models. They both follow a special protocol for these patients, and patients are carefully selected, but so far the results are really encouraging: there were no serious complications observed.

Johns Hopkins: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/hopkins_study_finds_mri_tests_safe_for_people_with_implanted_cardiac_devices_when_certain_guidelines_are_followed

Mayo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOM-fINv8R8

At the heart clinic where I'm being seen (EP department), they also do MRIs in patients with non-MRI-conditioned devices, and they have not had any complications either. And my cardio also had a few patients safely undergo an MRI. He teamed up with a radiologist who does Cardio MRIs for this. Again, no complications.

I tend to believe that, if you really need to have an MRI done, you can get one with almost every pacemaker, except models manufactured before the year 2001 (that's what I heard from several cardios). However, what will certainly not happen in cardiac device patients is that we will get an MRI for every little this and that. Statistics show that this is the trend in the "normal" population; MRIs are overused because they provide good imaging, and they cost a lot of money (= hospitals etc. can make a lot of money with them). In device patients, however, the decision to do an MRI will always be made very carefully, and as Butterflyin suggested, there are certainly a lot of clinics which will refuse to do MRIs in device patients.

Hope this helps.

Inga




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by boxxed - 2013-12-21 10:12:57

There are two, although from what I hear alot of companies are actively working on MRI-safe devices.

Medtronic Revo MRI
Medtronic Advisa MRI

Both are PM's. There is no ICD with MRI safe compatibility as far as I know. You will need the Medtronic 5086 MRI-safe leads as well.

Just an FYI, MRI-safe is a bit of a misnomer. It's more MRI-conditional than anything else. From what I understand, there are still certain circumstances in which you cannot have the MRI done. And the imaging center will need to have a Medtronic Rep come by before and after the MRI to turn on and off the SureScan (MRI-safe) mode.

asfasf

by boxxed - 2013-12-21 11:12:27

Oh I apologize. Inga is correct. There are other companies that have it available outside of the US. MDT is the only one (and I had to google this to make sure, so it's recent as of mid 2013) that has an FDA approval in the states. Sorry! Brief moment of 'Murican-ism to think that if it's not available in the US, the rest of the world can't possibly have it either! :)

UMass university

by Sglaza1 - 2013-12-23 04:12:40

I just had an MRI safe pm installed Friday....biotronik....it is part of a new study. Seems they have approval in Europe...UMass is helping biotronik get ok in us.

MANY THANKS EVERYONE.

by Rivithead - 2013-12-24 12:12:41

Great Data.

You know you're wired when...

The mortgage on your device is more than your house.

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