Mercy Debuts New MRI-Safe Pacemaker
by March 21, 2011 12:00 am 66 views
Mercy of Northwest Arkansas announced earlier this month it now offers implanting of pacemakers that allow patients to undergo magnetic resonance imaging if needed.
Previously, patients with pacemakers in need of an MRI faced potentially serious complications if they underwent the procedure. According to a Mercy news release, an estimated 200,000 patients forego MRI scans each year.
The new pacemaker gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Feb. 8. Dr. Amr El-Shafei is the interventional cardiologist believed to be the first in Northwest Arkansas to implant the new device.
“Providing pacemaker patients with access to MRI allows detection and treatment of serious medical conditions,” El-Shafei said in the release, “such as stroke, cancer, and a wide variety of important neurologic and orthopedic conditions.”