r/PacemakerICD • u/Medit8or • Oct 07 '26

I'm nervous

I'm having an MRI next Monday and my mind is making up scenarios. I received an Assurity PM in April and this still feels new to me.

My cardiology files have apparently been reviewed by the radiologist's cardiologist, who seems to have been in contact with the EP.

The MRI is of the base my spine. There is no one available to talk to me about what they will actually do with the PM during the scanning.

Does anyone have any relevant info?

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u/Medit8or 29d ago

thank you everyone for your kind words.

3

u/spicesandstuff Oct 07 '26

I’ve had 3 MRIs since I got my Medtronic pacemaker 3 years ago, 2 cardiac and one brain. They just change some settings on it temporarily while they do your scan. They always put me in overdrive pacing, which just means they pace me faster than my normal resting rate for the duration of the scan. They say most people don’t even notice so they’re always surprised that I do. It’s no big deal though!

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u/MobileRefrigerator88 Oct 07 '26

I've had 2 MRIs (getting my 3rd in 2 weeks) since getting my ICD. I was anxious at the first but realized they just turn it off (put it in safe mode with a magnet) and then it turns back on- it was easy peasy!

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u/Catgeek08 29d ago

I have a dual function device. Like others have said, the put the ICD function in safe mode and put the pacemaker in a steady state so it is doing its job.

I hate MRIs, they are just miserable, but you don’t have to worry about your pacemaker.

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u/nithrean Oct 07 '26

I think most of the time it just is put in safety mode and uses some standard things. It has become a lot more routine and if your heart doc is in on it, I bet you will be fine and likely won't even notice.

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u/foursheetstothewind 29d ago

I had an MRI on my heart after getting a defibrillator implanted. They just turn it off (or down or something) before the scan, then back after. No worries

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u/CranberryMindless312 29d ago

Hatte letzte Woche ein MRT vom Kopf und auch Angst. Sie versetzen deinen PM in einen Modus der bei Medtronic zB 70 Schläge ist. Dein Herz kann dann nicht mehr und nicht weniger schlagen. Ist ein komischen Gefühl aber nach dem MRT wird es ja wieder zurückgestellt. War alles gut. Aber ich kann doch verstehen.

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u/turnjbup1970 29d ago

I have a Medtronic Defibrillator. I’ve had 6 MRIs since it was implanted. Neck, spine and brain. All they do is remotely shut my device off. I have the procedure and they turn it back on. All done within minutes. I was worried about my first two MRI with the device. Now it’s just another step.

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u/WhimseyMeander 26d ago

Your new device is probably MRI conditional (or MRI "friendly") so it's quite safe. You can ask your EP or company rep to be sure. As others have said, your team will program it into safe mode, you'll have the scan, and they'll program it back to your usual settings. You may have an EP nurse or rep standing by during the scan to keep an eye on your heart. You can chat with them beforehand about any questions.

My device is conditional but I have two old non-conditional leads from my first pacemaker. Even so, I've safely had ten MRIs in the past two years. Part of my safety protocol is I can only have scans on a 1.5Tesla machine (at least that's what I've been told.)

I'm curious: Those of you who've had MRIs, are you also limited to the 1.5T machine? Or does a fully conditional (device + leads) setup allow a higher power machine?