A team of heart specialists from Quebec have announced that they have been successful in implanting a pacemaker that is compatible with MRI scans. The procedure is definitely a first as pacemakers are not compatible with MRI machines and can cause trouble with heart rhythm.

Till date, people with a pacemaker have not been allowed to undergo an MRI scan as the powerful magnetic waves of the diagnostic machine can change the functioning of the device. One of the biggest risks posed by MRI machines is that people can end up with a very high pacing rate of their heart.

The new pacemaker was approved by Health Canada earlier this year on the 18th of January and has proved to be safe against magnetic resonance imaging. The pioneering device is known as the Advisa MRI SureScan pacemaker that has been developed by Medtronic Inclusive from Mississauga in Ontario.

Talking about the device, Cardiac Electrophysiologist from the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec Dr. Gilles O’Hara said that the new device will be of immense benefit to people with a pacemaker requiring an MRI scan. The procedure was carried out by Dr. O’Hara and his colleague François Philippon.