Holy Name Press Releases

Holy Name Medical Center Offers New MRI-Compatible Pacemaker

February 18, 2011

HNMC surgeon implants device in first northern NJ patient

Teaneck, NJ - Yesterday, Holy Name Medical Center was the first hospital in northern New Jersey to offer the new Revo MRI™ SureScan® pacing system, the first MRI-compatible pacing system designed, tested and FDA-approved for use in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment. The system, which has valuable disease diagnosis and surveillance implications for thousands of patients, addresses important medical needs that, until now, have been unmet.

A Holy Name thoracic surgeon implanted the device in an 81-year-old female with a history of irregular heart rhythm. According to members of the woman's medical team, she is "feeling great, so much better than before she had the procedure." The patient was an excellent candidate for the Revo MRI Sure Scan pacing system because she has a history of breast cancer, a disease for which MRI is the acknowledged gold standard for diagnosis and surveillance.

Prior to the Revo MRI SureScan pacing system, MRI procedures for patients with implanted pacemakers were not recommended because such patients faced the risk of serious complications, such as interference with pacemaker operation, damage to system components, and lead or pacemaker dislodgement.  For this reason, more than 200,000 patients annually in the U.S. - including those with a history of cancer, stroke and other serious medical problems - are unable to undergo an MRI scan.

The newly-designed device addresses these safety concerns, allowing people with pacemakers to benefit from MRI technology, which can depict highly detailed images of internal organs, blood vessels, muscle, joints, tumors, areas of infection and more-excellent news, considering the 50 to 75 percent probability that cardiac device patients will be indicated for an MRI over the lifetime of their devices.