Is Scanning Patients With Traditional Pacemakers Safe?

The MRI Journey - Emanuel Kanal, MD - Part 1

Video Part Two - The MRI Journey - Emanuel Kanal, MD

Despite theoretical and actual risks of MRI to patients with pacemakers, defibrillators, and other cardiac devices, the safety debate continues

Testing has been limited, and studies have been too small and insufficient to extrapolate results to the larger population.
Patient safety cannot be guaranteed by extrapolating findings from these limited studies
The American College of Radiology (ACR), the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) warn that medical devices may malfunction or cause problems during an MRI scan¹⁰
Patients are at risk of serious side effects or death in the absence of a pacing system approved for MRI use^11,12