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Mercy Heart & Vascular Institute is one of the region's first providers to offer patients an MRI-conditional pacemaker that allows pacemaker patients who need MRIs to be safely scanned. There are an estimated 1.5 million pacemaker patients in U.S. and of those patients, approximately 75% will need an MRI test at some point in time. The Revo MRI-conditional pacemaker system fills that vital need.
Why is MRI-conditional Pacemaker necessary? Pacemakers are surgically implanted medical devices that generate electrical impulses to treat irregular or stalled heart beats. MRIs use a powerful magnetic field to produce detailed images of internal body organs. It is estimated that every year more than 200,000 American patients with pacemakers may require an MRI, but are advised not to have one because an MRI's magnetic fields can disrupt the pacemaker settings or cause wires to overheat. This may lead to:
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Damage of the pacemaker system resulting in interference with pacemaker operation
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Moving the lead or pacemaker from its proper position
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Heating the tips of the leads causing heart muscle damage
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Unintended cardiac pacing or death
MRI technology can be critical in the diagnosis of many serious conditions; however, patients with traditional pacemakers most often cannot undergo an MRI scan.
Revo MRI-conditional pacemaker system was designed to address these safety concerns around MRI procedures for patients who have implanted pacemakers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Revo MRI pacing system in March 2011. Mercy General Hospital began implanting the pacemaker into eligible patients in April 2011.
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