The use of pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators has drastically increased in today’s world. Out of all the people with implants, 75% of them have to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during their lifetimes. Here are few things, to take of, to deal with pacemaker and MRI.
In the past, patients with cardiac devices were concerned with undergoing an MRI. That’s because they worry about the fact that if radiofrequency fields generated from an MRI might:
- Damage the components of the device
- Irregulate the pacemaker’s function
Based on the American Heart Association guidelines, it is not recommended that patients with cardiac pacemakers undergo an MRI. Except for those manufacturers who manufacture the new MRI-conditional devices, others do not recommend using MRI by pacemaker implanted patients.
The American College of Radiology suggests that patients with pacemakers should only undergo an MRI when deemed a medical necessity.
Thanks to medical science advancements, the first MRI-safe pacemaker has received FDA approval for use back in 2011 in the U.S. As the device is in its first-generation, it has some limitations:
- The device requires a unique lead system.
- The new unique lead system generates a lot of heat.
To learn more about pacemakers and their relations with an MRI, call us now, and our team at Octagos Health will be able to assist you. You can contact us at 281-769-8733.