In addition, the researchers determined that none of the patients involved in the study experienced any adverse clinical events from undergoing the MR exam.

Out of the more than 200,000 people who have a cardiac pacemaker or cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implanted each year, about 75 percent will experience a medical situation in their lifetime that could benefit from an MR, according to the University of California, Los Angeles.


There are currently only about 15 to 20 hospitals across the U.S. including AGH that have cardiac MRI centers with the advanced capabilities and experience to pay careful attention to implantable device reprogramming and scanner sequences both before and after the MRI.

At AGH, such patients undergo a comprehensive evaluation of their cardiovascular health and degree of dependence on their device before being imaged. If the patient is cleared, the clinicians perform a baseline device interrogation and put the pacemaker and/or ICD into to a safer mode prior to conducting the exam.

If the patient is found to be non-dependent on the implanted cardiac device under baseline conditions, the device might be turned off completely while the imaging is conducted — which further reduces the risk of device-related complications. The hospital also takes steps to reduce the likelihood of heating, induction of radio-frequency energy, and triggering potentially lethal rhythms.

The patient’s heart rhythms are monitored in real time during the procedures and the entire process is closely overseen by Biederman, a cardiovascular physicist, and a team of nurses and technologists. Once the exams were complete, the implanted devices were reprogrammed to their customary state.

"Most hospitals without cardiac MRI experience must instead use CT ultrasound and catheterization," said Biederman. "These techniques have variable sensitivities and specificities, and they also include radiation exposure, which is not an issue with MRI."

The results of the study were presented last week at the Society of Cardiovascular MRI Scientific Sessions annual meeting in Los Angeles.

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