New pacemaker enables MRI scanning
Cardiologists at William Harvey Hospital in Kent have implanted a revolutionary new pacemaker that allows patients to have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Until now, those with a pacemaker have been unable to have an MRI scan as the equipment uses electromagnets that could damage or re-programme pacemakers, putting patients at risk. Medical technology company, Medtronic, has developed the first MRI-safe pacemaker and it was implanted by William Harvey medics, Kayvan Kamalvand and Mehran Asgari. Asgari said: "This is the first implant of this kind and is a truly significant step forward for our patients. We implant hundreds of pacemakers each year and a significant number of these patients may need an MRI scan at some point in their life. Until now, they have not been able to benefit from this highly-sophisticated diagnostic tool."
