New Technology on Maui Benefits People with Pacemakers

By Wendy Osher

Maui Memorial Medical Center courtesy image, MMMC.

People with pacemakers on Maui will soon be able to utilize MRI technology without fears of serious complications.  The Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) will offer the technology through its newly acquired Revo MRI™ SureScan® pacing system.

The system, developed by Medtronic,  is the first MR-Conditional pacing system designed, tested and FDA approved for use in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) environment.

Previous MRI technology was not recommended for pacemaker patients because of potential interference, damage, or dislodging of pacemaker components.  There was also the potential for the traditional machines to misinterpret electrical noise in pacemaker patients, resulting in the delivery of inaccurate delivery of pacing therapy.

Maui Memorial Medical Center performs approximately 3,000 MRI scans each year.  The technology is often preferred by physicians because of the detail and clarity not offered by other soft tissue imaging modalities.

Health officials say more than 200,000 patients in the nation go without an MRI scan each year because they have a pacemaker.

“Medical imaging and electronic implantable devices such as pacemakers are important technological advances, particularly for older people,” said MMMC Chief Executive Officer, Wes Lo. “We are proud to provide safer access to MRI for our patients. We encourage our patients to talk to their doctor about which pacing system is right for them,” he said.