It is possible to pass an MRI with a pace-maker

NikD51/epictura

Published the 30.12.2017 to 08: 45

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pace-makerIRMsécurité

The pace-maker is no longer an obstacle to MRI scans. A new prospective study has been conducted to evaluate the safety of MRI with a magnetic field of 1.5 Tesla in 1509 patients carrying a pacemaker or an implantable defibrillator (42%).
Overall, the patients underwent 2103 MRI thoracic and non-thoracic, considered to be clinically necessary. It is published in the NEJM.
The stimulation mode was changed to asynchronous mode for patients dependent on stimulation. The evaluation included adverse events and changes in the variables that indicate the function of the lead, of the generator and the interaction with the surrounding tissue.

No major complication

No adverse events and clinically significant short-or long-term has not been reported.
In nine of the MRI, the pacemaker, the patient was restarted in rescue mode. Only in one case, a pacemaker put in place for less than a month, the device is reset and could not be reprogrammed. It has been replaced by the following. The significant change the most common settings of the device was a decrease in the amplitude of the P wave, which occurred in 1% of patients.
In the long term, the significant changes were a decrease in the amplitude of P waves and an increase in the threshold for atrial capture.

All in all, the tests are more than reassuring.