Re: Heart Pacemakers and MRI

[BERNARD L COHEN <blc+@PITT.EDU>]

	What about people with pacemakers being near microwave ovens? Is

that still a problem?



Bernard L. Cohen

Physics Dept.

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Tel: (412)624-9245

Fax: (412)624-9163

e-mail: blc+@pitt.edu





On Mon, 29 Oct 2001, Rick Mannix wrote:



> I attended a meeting last week during which MRI safety issues were

> discussed. Naturally, the topic of heart pacemakers was introduced.

>

> A physician who is the director of a neuroimaging research center indicated

> that the warning always issued previously  regarding those with heart

> pacemakers staying at a considerable distance from MRI units is "outdated".

> He said that the "newer" heart pacemakers can take the full hit of a 1.5

> Tesla MRI field and keep on ticking. Thus, persons with the "newer"

> pacemakers should be permitted to have medical MRI exams and to participate

> in MRI research studies. [How a person would know if his/her pacemaker is

> one of the MRI-safe ones -- if in fact such a thing exists -- is beyond me!]

>

> This was a big surprise to me. I have always believed that MRIs are

> absolutely contraindicated for those with any  type of heart pacemaker or

> any ferromagnetic structure in their bodies, for that matter. In fact, my

> understanding was that persons with pacemakers could not be exposed to

> magnetic fields much above 5 Gauss without the risk of incurring possible

> problems with their pacemakers. 15,000 Gauss exposures (1.5 Tesla) would be

> completely out of the question.

>

> Does anybody know anything concerning this matter? Are there indeed

> MRI-safe pacemakers?

>

> Rick Mannix

> Health Physicist

> Laser Safety Officer

> University of California

> EH&S Office

> 4600 Bison Ave.

> Irvine, CA 92697-2725

>

> 949-824-6098

> 949-824-8539   fax

> rcmannix@uci.edu

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