Implantable Electronic Cardiac Devices and Compatibility With Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

There is a growing population of patients with implanted electronic cardiac devices and a concomitant increase in the use of magnetic resonance (MR). There are theoretical safety risks posed to such devices by MR. However, there are now considerable laboratory data and clinical experience demonstrating safety in this setting, assuming appropriate device selection and patient monitoring. Herein, we review these data and our safety protocol and the new generation of devices that have been prospectively designed and tested to be safe for MR scanning, assuming certain conditions are met (i.e., devices that are MR-conditional). We also argue that the available data do not support a complete transition to implantation of MR-conditional devices.

Keywords: arrhythmia; cardiac implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; pacemaker.