Patients with pacemaker implants can now have MRI

  With the advancement of pacemaker technology and the expansion of the range of indications, more and more patients are receiving pacemaker implantation. The average age of pacemaker patients in China is around 65-70 years old, which is the age of high prevalence of tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and bone and joint diseases. Magnetic resonance imaging has obvious advantages for diagnosing diseases of the brain, spinal cord, bone and joint diseases and tumors, but conventional pacemakers cannot tolerate MRI. Conventional pacemakers suffer from pacing dysfunction during MRI, which can have catastrophic consequences for pacemaker-dependent patients; the magnetic field may overheat the lead head end causing endocardial burns; and the pacemaker components may also be damaged.  As a result, a large number of patients with pacemaker implants were previously prohibited from undergoing MRI. The current pacemakers available for MRI are designed with a special lead tip to reduce heat generation and to reduce the pulse generator electronics to allow safe MRI examinations. Once the pacemaker is installed, it can be safely scanned by simply adjusting the pacemaker to the MRI mode of operation. This will change the history that patients with pacemakers cannot safely undergo MRI examinations, and represents a new trend in the development of pacemakers by adapting to the current situation of an aging population.