title: Pacemakers and magnetic resonance imaging: Current status and survey in Switzerland.
abstract: Electromagnetic fields arising from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can cause various clinically relevant functional disturbances in patients with cardiac pacemakers. Consequently, an implanted pacemaker is generally considered a contraindication for an MRI scan. With approximately 60 million MRI scans performed worldwide per year, MRI may be indicated for an estimated majority of pacemaker patients during the lifetime of their pacemakers. The availability of MR conditional pacemakers with CE labelling is of particular advantage since they allow the safe use of pacemakers in MRI. In this article the current state of knowledge on pacemakers and MR imaging is discussed. We present the results of a survey conducted among Swiss radiologists to assess current practice in patients with pacemakers.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Radiologie, Birmensdorferstrasse 497, 8063 Zürich, Switzerland. dominik.weishaupt@triemli.zuerich.ch
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weishaupt
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bremerich
authors.forename: Firat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Duru
authors.forename: Hanno
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Votik
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luechinger
mesh_terms: D000075202:Contraindications; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects; D004869:Equipment Safety; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000009:adverse effects; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D013557:Switzerland