Overlake Patient First in Western Washington With MRI-Compatible Pacemaker

Check out the Overlake Hospital Medical Center Cardiac Blog, where patient Teresa Bliss talks about being the hospital's first patient with a pacemaker that allows for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Click here for the link.

Overlake interviewed Bill and her doctor, cardiologist J. Alan Heywood, about their reaction to the medical development.

According to the blog, MRI scans had not been recommended for use with pacemakers, because of the risk of damage to the pacemaker, damage to the patient's tissues where the pacemaker touches, and the risk of dislodging in the body because of the scanner's powerful magnets. The company Medtronic had designed a pacemaker that specifically minimized those risks, according to the blog.