PRESS RELEASES
Scans for Patients with MRI-Conditional Pacemakers
Beverly Hospital is first on North Shore to use MRI for
Patient with new MRI-Conditional pacemaker
Beverly, MA- After months of planning and training, Beverly
Hospital became the first health institution on the North Shore to
perform an MRI scan on a patient with a new MRI-Conditional
pacemaker. Traditional pacemakers are banned from MRI scanners
because they are metal and can be shut off or moved by the
scanner's powerful magnet. "This is really a pioneering step," says
Dr. Steven Defossez, the Chief Radiologist of MRI at Beverly
Hospital and the Northeast Health System, "because, with the aging
of the population and likely prevalence of pacemakers, this new
capability will make an enormous difference to our patients on the
North Shore and surrounding areas."
Beverly Hospital was able to scan the patient, which took place
last week, because the MRI department had worked diligently and
carefully to design and implement the necessary protocols, safety
guidelines and procedures, according to Jeanne Riley, RTR, MR, the
Chief MRI Technologist, who headed the planning team. No other
hospitals on the North Shore have completed this process.
While MRI is an important diagnostic tool for many health
issues, including cancer and stroke, having a traditional pacemaker
prevents a patient from even walking near an MRI scanner. "The
magnet in the scanner can shut off the device and heat up the wires
or 'leads' connecting it to the heart " says Dr
Defossez. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses magnetic
energy rather than radiation (in the case of x-rays) to scan inside
the body. Pacemakers sense slow heartbeats and stimulate the
heart to beat at a normal rate.
The patient, Judith James, a 72-year- old Danvers resident and
former professor of Physical Therapy Assistants at North Shore
Community College, needed the scan to learn if surgery was
necessary for her painful knee. The previous year, she received a
Revo SureScan Pacemaker by Medtronic to stabilize her heartbeat.
Medtronic pacemakers are the only pacemakers made of materials that
are safe during MRI testing, according to the Medtronic
representative who reprogrammed the pacemaker and observed Beverly
Hospital's use of its new protocols and procedures when James
arrived at the MRI suite.
James was thrilled that she was able to get the scan near
home and at Beverly Hospital. "I felt I was in good hands and was
very confident," she says. Ironically, it was she who set the
process in motion.
James had asked for the MRI-Conditional pacemaker when,
following a stress test, her cardiologist told her a pacemaker was
necessary. "I was about to participate in a medical study that
would require me to undergo several MRI scans, and I had heard
about this new pacemaker," says James. A cardiac surgeon, Dr.
Jonathon Silver, agreed to implant the Medtronic device in the
Cardiovascular Suire at Beverly Hospital after determining her
eligibility. "The study I had volunteered for didn't happen after
all," she says.
Then, last fall, after several months, her orthopedic surgeon
told her that she needed an MRI to evaluate what was happening in
her painful right knee. "Not knowing that Judith had this
MRI-compatible pacemaker, I told her she would have to have
another, less accurate and more invasive test," says Dr. John
Boyle, whose practice is at the North Shore Center for Orthopedic
Surgery in Danvers.
"I told him about my special pacemaker and that I wanted to have
the scan close to home," she says.
When presented with James' case and her desire to get a scan
locally, the Beverly MRI team sprang into action. "We also knew
about these new pacemakers and were beginning to plan for them, but
Judith's referral motivated us to begin immediately to prepare
ourselves and the MRI suite to make it happen," says Judith
Samuelman, the Outreach Liaison for the MRI department.
Over the next four months, a team, consisting of staff of the
MRI and cardiovascular departments, in consultation with
cardiologists and radiologists, worked tirelessly to prepare for
James' arrival. "I think it was a wonderful collaborative effort.
We developed policies, order sets, and a training and certification
program for anyone involved in the care of patients like Judith,"
says Cynthia Beauregard, RN, the nurse manager of the
cardiovascular suite, who was onsite during last week's procedure."
"All cardiovascular staff and all the MRI staff were trained and
certified before we did this first scan."
And it was a success. According to Dr. Boyle, the scans were
very clear and helpful and will certainly contribute to his advice
to Judith about the next step in treating her knee, which will
likely include surgery.
Says James, "It sure is nice being a trend setter."
"We are always talking about 'patient centered' care. This is an
example of just that," says Defossez.