Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to clarify the risks associated with MRI exams for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and to provide information regarding the MRI examination protocol for patients with CIEDs.
Recent findings: Several prospective studies evaluated the feasibility of MRI exams for patients with CIEDs and reported no adverse events. These studies suggest that by following a specific MRI examination protocol and monitoring both CIED parameters and the patient's symptoms, an MRI exam can be performed by appropriately trained personnel with an acceptable benefit-to-risk ratio.
Summary: Both MR unsafe and MR conditional CIEDs are commercially available, but there are no MR safe CIEDs. The potential risks faced by patients with CIEDs during an MRI exam are always present and warrant careful monitoring. Three magnetic fields in the MRI scanner interact with the device in ways that can damage the CIED or harm the patient. Due to safety concerns and out of an abundance of caution, the majority of MRI exams for patients with CIEDs are currently denied. However, when following a specific MRI exam protocol, these risks can be mitigated.
Keywords: Cardiac implantable medical devices; ICD; MRI protocol; MRI safety; Magnetic resonance imaging; Pacemaker.