New pacemaker safe for MRI

Vassar Brothers Medical Center announced March 15 it is utilizing a new pacemaker developed by Medtronic: the REvo MRI SureScan pacing system. It is the first pacemaker of its kind designed to address safety concerns for MRI procedures for cardiac patients with implanted pacemakers.

Before anyone with a pacemaker decides they”™d like to go out and exchange the one they currently have for the new model, doctors say they would be considered only after the battery is ready to be changed in the current pacemaker before having the delicate surgery done, according to Scientific American. Even if a patient chose the newer model, it might not be feasible to replace the existing pacemaker with the new model. The REvo MRI SureScan pacing system also limits the amount of magnetic resonance imaging a patient can have to 1.5 Tesla in the first generation of the new pacemaker and must wait at least six weeks to have an MRI after the new device is implanted. Currently, Medicare does not cover the cost of MRI for patients with pacemakers.

According to Vassar Brothers, more than 200,000 patients in the U.S. with implanted pacemakers have to bypass magnetic resonance imaging for safety reasons, which include pacemaker malfunction damage to the system”™s components and even death. Yet, it is estimated there is a 50 to 75 percent chance a patient with an implanted cardiac device is going to need an MRI at some point in their lifetime once implanted with a pacemaker. More than five million people have implanted pacemakers worldwide.

Sankar Varanasi, electrophysiologist, implanted the first device at Vassar Brothers. “Medical imaging and electronic implantable devices such as pacemakers are important technological advances, particularly for older people. … we encourage our patients to talk to their doctor about which pacing system is right for them,” the doctor said.

Prior to this new technology, MRI procedures for patients with implanted pacemakers were not recommended because these patients might face serious complications, such as interference with pacemaker operation, damage to system components or pacemaker dislodgement. MRI scanners may cause traditional pacemakers to misinterpret MRI-generated electrical noise and withhold pacing therapy or deliver unnecessary pacing.

For more information go to medtronic.com/patient/revomri.