Abstract
The static magnetic field generated by MRI systems is highly non-homogenous and rapidly decreases when moving away from the bore of the scanner. Consequently, the movement around the MRI scanner is equivalent to an exposure to a time-varying magnetic field at very low frequency (few Hz). If people with an implanted pacemaker (PM) enter the MRI room, fast movements may thus induce voltages on the loop formed by the PM lead, with the potential to modify the correct behavior of the stimulator. In this study, we performed in-vitro measurements on a human-shaped phantom, equipped with an implantable PM and with a current sensor, able to monitor the activity of the PM while moving the phantom in the MRI room. Fast rotational movements in close proximity of the bore of the scanner caused the inappropriate inhibition of the PM, programmed in VVI modality, maximum sensitivity, unipolar sensing and pacing. The inhibition occurred for a variation of the magnetic field of about 3 T/s. These findings demonstrate that great care must be paid when extending PM MRI compatibility from patients to healthcare personnel, since the safety procedures and the MRI-conditional PM programming (e.g. asynchronous stimulation or bipolar sensing) used for patients cannot be applied.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2014 |
Publisher | Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. |
Pages | 890-893 |
Number of pages | 4 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781424479290 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2 2014 |
Event | 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2014 - Chicago, United States Duration: Aug 26 2014 → Aug 30 2014 |
Other
Other | 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2014 |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | Chicago |
Period | 8/26/14 → 8/30/14 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health Informatics
- Computer Science Applications
- Biomedical Engineering