Patients with pacemakers, defibrillators and other implanted heart devices can usually safely undergo magnetic scans, researchers said on Monday. Tests on animals and in the laboratory suggest that the powerful magnets used in magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI scans, will not damage or dislodge the newest devices, the researchers report in the journal Circulation. MRI is used widely to diagnose many forms of cancer, diseases of the brain, head and neck, heart and kidney conditions. "Our results show that implantable heart devices can be made safe for use in MRI," Dr. Ariel Roguin of Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, who led the study, said in a statement. "Our hope is that further research -- through continued device development and human clinical trials -- will produce devices that are prospectively designed to be MRI safe," he added. "Eventually, we will want all manufacturers to make their implantable heart devices MRI-compatible, so that all patients can benefit from the advantages of both technologies." More than 2 million Americans have a surgically implanted cardiac device such as a pacemaker or a defibrillator. --More 2315 Local Time 2015 GMT
