skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: SU-D-18C-06: Initial Experience with Implementing MRI Safety Guidelines for Patients with Pacemakers - Medical Physicist Perspective

Abstract

Purpose: Several institutions have developed MRI guidelines for patients with MR-unsafe or MR-conditional pacemakers. Here we highlight the role of a medical physicist in implementing these guidelines for non-pacemaker dependent patients. Guidelines: Implementing these guidelines requires involvement from several medical specialties and a strong collaboration with the site MRI supervisor to develop a structured workflow. A medical physicist is required to be present during the scan to supervise the MR scanning and to maintain a safety checklist that ensures: 1) uninterrupted patient communication with the technologist, 2) continuous patient physiologic monitoring (e.g. blood pressure and electrocardiography) by a trained nurse, 3) redundant patient vitals monitoring (e.g. pulse oximetry) due to the possibility of in vivo electrocardiography reading fluctuations during image acquisition. A radiologist is strongly recommended to be available to review the images before patients are discharged from the scanner. Pacemaker MRI should be restricted to 1.5T field strength. The MRI sequences should be optimized by the physicist with regards to: a) SAR: limited to <1.5 W/Kg for MR-unsafe pacemakers in normal operating mode, b) RF exposure time: <30 min, c) Coils: use T/R coils but not restricted to such, d) Artifacts: further optimization of sequences whenever image quality ismore » compromised due to the pacemaker. In particular, cardiac, breast and left-shoulder MRIs are most susceptible to these artifacts. Possible strategies to lower the SAR include: a) BW reduction, 2) echo-train-length reduction, 3) increase TR, 4) decrease number of averages, 5) decrease flip angle, 6) reduce slices and/or a combination of all the options. Conclusion: A medical physicist in collaboration with the MR supervisor plays an important role in the supervision/implementation of safe MR scanning of pacemaker patients. Developing and establishing a workflow has enabled our institution to scan over 30 patients with pacemakers without complications, including 3 cardiac MR exams.« less

Authors:
; ;  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ (United States)
  2. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN (United States)
  3. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (United States)
  4. Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22334008
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Medical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 41; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: (c) 2014 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0094-2405
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; BLOOD PRESSURE; CARBON 18; CARDIAC PACEMAKERS; IMAGES; IN VIVO; MAMMARY GLANDS; NMR IMAGING; OPTIMIZATION; PATIENTS; RECOMMENDATIONS; SAFETY

Citation Formats

James, J, Place, V, Panda, A, Edmonson, H, Felmlee, J, and Pooley, R. SU-D-18C-06: Initial Experience with Implementing MRI Safety Guidelines for Patients with Pacemakers - Medical Physicist Perspective. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1118/1.4887914.
James, J, Place, V, Panda, A, Edmonson, H, Felmlee, J, & Pooley, R. SU-D-18C-06: Initial Experience with Implementing MRI Safety Guidelines for Patients with Pacemakers - Medical Physicist Perspective. United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4887914
James, J, Place, V, Panda, A, Edmonson, H, Felmlee, J, and Pooley, R. 2014. "SU-D-18C-06: Initial Experience with Implementing MRI Safety Guidelines for Patients with Pacemakers - Medical Physicist Perspective". United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4887914.
@article{osti_22334008,
title = {SU-D-18C-06: Initial Experience with Implementing MRI Safety Guidelines for Patients with Pacemakers - Medical Physicist Perspective},
author = {James, J and Place, V and Panda, A and Edmonson, H and Felmlee, J and Pooley, R},
abstractNote = {Purpose: Several institutions have developed MRI guidelines for patients with MR-unsafe or MR-conditional pacemakers. Here we highlight the role of a medical physicist in implementing these guidelines for non-pacemaker dependent patients. Guidelines: Implementing these guidelines requires involvement from several medical specialties and a strong collaboration with the site MRI supervisor to develop a structured workflow. A medical physicist is required to be present during the scan to supervise the MR scanning and to maintain a safety checklist that ensures: 1) uninterrupted patient communication with the technologist, 2) continuous patient physiologic monitoring (e.g. blood pressure and electrocardiography) by a trained nurse, 3) redundant patient vitals monitoring (e.g. pulse oximetry) due to the possibility of in vivo electrocardiography reading fluctuations during image acquisition. A radiologist is strongly recommended to be available to review the images before patients are discharged from the scanner. Pacemaker MRI should be restricted to 1.5T field strength. The MRI sequences should be optimized by the physicist with regards to: a) SAR: limited to <1.5 W/Kg for MR-unsafe pacemakers in normal operating mode, b) RF exposure time: <30 min, c) Coils: use T/R coils but not restricted to such, d) Artifacts: further optimization of sequences whenever image quality is compromised due to the pacemaker. In particular, cardiac, breast and left-shoulder MRIs are most susceptible to these artifacts. Possible strategies to lower the SAR include: a) BW reduction, 2) echo-train-length reduction, 3) increase TR, 4) decrease number of averages, 5) decrease flip angle, 6) reduce slices and/or a combination of all the options. Conclusion: A medical physicist in collaboration with the MR supervisor plays an important role in the supervision/implementation of safe MR scanning of pacemaker patients. Developing and establishing a workflow has enabled our institution to scan over 30 patients with pacemakers without complications, including 3 cardiac MR exams.},
doi = {10.1118/1.4887914},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22334008}, journal = {Medical Physics},
issn = {0094-2405},
number = 6,
volume = 41,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}