MRI & Pacemakers

When the best technologies clash

MRI and Pacemakers — Both provide exceptional outcomes for patients, but not together, until SureScan^® pacing systems.

Two Trends Converge
As MRI use increases, so too does the number of patients with pacemakers and ICDs.

• MRI is one of the fastest growing areas in diagnostic imaging and is considered the standard of care for soft tissue imaging¹
• The number of patients benefiting from implantable cardiac devices is escalating¹

CT won't do in many cases.

CT scans have limited contrast ability and bony artifacts may distort or obscure abnormalities In view of the potential high doses, CT should only be carried out after proper clinical justification by an experienced radiologist16

Chances are good that the majority of your patients will need an MRI.

50-75% of patients with an implantable cardiac device will need an MRI scan over the lifetime of their device1 After age 65, a person's chance of needing an MRI doubles2, the same demographic group that is most likely to need a pacemaker

What happens when a pacing patient needs an MRI? Until SureScan^® pacing systems, they were most likely turned away.

• Every 5 minutes, a patient is denied MRI because of an implantable cardiac device²
• MRI scans are potentially unsafe and off limits for millions of patients with these devices 

“MRI is unmatched and irreplaceable for diagnosis of cancer and neurological disorders. For investigation of the brain and spinal cord, there is simply no suitable alternative in most cases. As application of MRI continues to grow, it is critical to introduce a solution that allows pacemaker patients safe access to MRI.”

Torsten Sommer, MD, PhD
Professor of Radiology
Chief, Cardiovascular Imaging
University of Bonn