White CountyMedical Center has announced that it successfully conducted its first MRI scan on a patient with the Revo MRITM SureScan® pacing system.
The Revo MRITM SureScan®pacemaker is the first MR-Conditional pacemaker system to be designed, testedand FDA approved for use in the MRI environment. (MR-Conditional is a term usedto indicate that a device may be used in an MRI environment under certainconditions, such as certain type of MRI scanner or scanner settings.)
Patient Gloria Martin, of Searcy, whowas implanted with the Revo MRI pacemaker in May 2011, successfully underwentan MRI to monitor a mass in her brain.
Prior to the Revo MRI SureScan pacingsystem, MRI procedures for patients with implanted pacemakers were notrecommended because the patients might face serious complications during thescan due to interference with pacemaker operation, damage to system components,lead or pacemaker dislodgement.
Developed by Medtronic (NYSE: MDT),the Revo MRI SureScan pacing system is the first pacing system of its kind inthe U.S.The Revo MRI SureScan pacing system was designed to address safety concernsaround MRI procedures for patients who have implanted pacemakers. MRI scannersmay cause traditional pacemakers to misinterpret MRI-generated electrical noiseand withhold pacing therapy or deliver unnecessary pacing therapy. The Revo MRIpacing system, when programmed into SureScan mode prior to an MRI scan, isdesigned to be used safely in the MRI environment.
“Gloria is the first person with theRevo MRI SureScan pacemaker to undergo an MRI here at White CountyMedical Center,”said Cardiologist Eric Robinson, M.D. “I thought she was the perfect candidatefor this particular pacemaker because she has regular MRI scans to monitor themass in her brain.”
Dr. Robinson learned about the RevoMRI SureScan pacemaker shortly after it was approved by the U.S. Food &Drug Administration (FDA) early last year. In working with Medtronic and WCMCAdministration, he and the hospital were able to make the technology availableto Gloria.
“Before this advanced technologybecame available, patients who needed regular MRI scans would either have tolive without a pacemaker and suffer the possible consequences, or they wouldonly be able to have a CT scan, which can be less accurate than a MRI whenlooking at a mass, for example,” Dr. Robinson said.
“This Medtronic pacemaker has made asignificant impact on Gloria, her medical care and quality of life,” he added.“When we first discussed it, she responded positively and was glad there wassuch a product that would allow her to live better and also allow her toreceive MRI scans.”
“MRI scans are used to diagnose anarray of medical conditions; therefore, this pacemaker is a significantadvancement in that it no longer limits patients like Gloria to the testingthey can have done,” Dr. Robinson said. “This is the biggest advancement forthis type of technology since the pacemaker was originally invented.”
Gloria, along with her granddaughterJennifer Fisher, expressed their thankfulness for Dr. Robinson in acquiring thepacemaker technology. “If it weren’t for Dr. Robinson, I wouldn’t have thispacemaker,” Gloria said. “He spoke up for me to get this device, and I cannotsay enough good things about him. The pacemaker is working well, and I feelgood.”
“We are fortunate that we can stillmonitor the mass in her brain and have the pacemaker as well,” Jennifer added.“If it weren’t for the MR-Conditional pacemaker, we would have to sacrifice onehealth condition for another, and we wouldn’t be able to keep up with thegrowth of the brain mass.”
According to Medtronic RepresentativeDavid Ransom, WCMC was the first hospital in Arkansas to implant the Revo MRI SureScanpacing system in a patient, which was done by Cardiologist Leon Blue, M.D., in2011.
The number of patients withpacemakers is growing at the same time that the use of MRI is increasing. About40 million MRI scans are performed annually in the U.S. and WCMC performed 3,833 MRIscans last year. MRI is often preferred by physicians because it provides alevel of detail and clarity not offered by other soft tissue imaging systems.
“Medical imaging and electronicimplantable devices such as pacemakers are important technological advances,particularly in our older population,” said Amy Castera, Director of Radiologyat WCMC. “White County MedicalCenter is proud toprovide safer access to MRI for our patients. We encourage our patients to talkto their doctor about which pacing system is right for them.”
