A cardiac patient with a pacemaker implanted inside his chest can now finally undergo an MRI scan. The world's first MRI-compatible pacemaker has now been used on Turkish patients.

Until now, patients with a pacemaker — three million living in the world at present — are barred from undergoing MRI scans. What's worse, one in every two such patients requires an MRI -- the imaging technology of choice for neurological (brain), musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and oncological (cancer) imaging — sometime in their life.

Unfortunately, current pacemaker designs include a metal wire that connects the pacemaker to the heart. During an MRI, the wire can get hot, seriously affecting blood vessels, scarring the heart, and potentially inducing a rapid heart condition, which can prove fatal. The wire also picks up radio frequency interference, which can impair the pacemaker's performance.

Prof Dr Kamil Adale implanted the pacemaker on an 70-year-old patient for the first time in Turkey. "The patient had a heart attack a year back which was treated with medication. This time, he came with a complete heart blockage. While the heart contraption rate is 60-70 times a minute, this patient's heart rate was just 30. An ECG showed we needed to put him on a pacemaker," he said.

"The MRI-compatible pacemaker called EnRhythm MRI SureScan Pacing system will be a boon for all patients with a pacemaker, especially those who are old. They usually require an MRI for several conditions, the most common being for abdomen and brain imaging. But till now, they could not undergo an MRI scan for their entire life," Prof Dr Kamil Adalet, Chief of I.U.T.F. Department of Cardiology.


Doctors say that every five minutes globally, a patient is denied an MRI because of an implantable cardiac device. Also, 50-75% of patients with implantable cardiac devices will be asked to undergo MRI scans over the lifetime of their device.