New Pacemaker Withstands MRI Scans

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By Kenneth Wong

Story Published: Oct 19, 2011 at 7:52 PM MDT

Story Updated: Oct 20, 2011 at 1:34 PM MDT

BILLINGS - Good news for people with pacemakers: with the right kind of pacemaker, you can get a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan.

For decades, people with traditional pacemakers are not allowed to get MRI scans because electrical noise generated by the machine could cause it to stop working, or work when it is not needed. Earlier in 2011, St. Vincent Healthcare began to implant pacemakers that can withstand the noise generated by MRI machines. This paved the way for Wanda Goetz to undergo an MRI for her lower back on Wednesday.

"I went through it really good. They kept asking me if I was getting dizzy or light-headed, and I never did," said Goetz. Hospital officials call Goetz the first person in Montana to undergo an MRI scan with a pacemaker implanted.

Doctors were equally happy about the advances in pacemaker technology.

"It feels good because you're doing something on the cutting edge of medical care, and you are improving their lives with something that you can do as a cardiologist," said Dr. Edward Dean with St. Vincent Healthcare, who went on to say he hopes the advance will lead to better illness diagnosis and treatment for patients with pacemakers.

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