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Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Dysfunction During and After Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Author(s) -
ANFINSEN OLEGUNNAR,
BERNTSEN ROLF FRANCK,
AASS HALFDAN,
KONGSGAARD ERIK,
AMLIE JAN PEDER
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-9592.2002.01400.x
Subject(s) - medicine , implantable cardioverter defibrillator , magnetic resonance imaging , cardiology , ventricular fibrillation , radiology
ANFINSEN, O.‐G., et al. : Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Dysfunction During and After Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This report describes a patient in whom a MRI of the brain was performed without realizing that an ICD had been implanted 8 days previously. Electromagnetic noise induced during the MRI was detected as ventricular fibrillation and nearly caused inappropriate shocks. Charge time during MRI was prolonged. The battery indicator switched to “end of life,” but this was reversed by capacitor reformation. These problems could have been avoided by inactivating the ICD prior to MRI. Three months later, the pacing threshold increased from 0.4 V per 0.5 ms at implantation to 2.8 V per 0.5. It is still uncertain whether radiofrequency current heating at the electrode tip caused the increased pacing threshold or if this would have occurred independently of the MRI. MRI of patients with an active ICD may cause life‐threatening complications, and it is unknown if MRI may be safely performed if the ICD is inactivated. Therefore, MRI of patients with an ICD remains contraindicated.