Table 3 Issues Raised by the Advent of MR Conditional Cardiac Devices Which Require Further Study.
From: Magnetic resonance imaging in patients with cardiac pacemakers: era of "MR Conditional" designs
Patient Selection | Who should receive MR conditional devices? Should MR conditional devices become the standard platform or used only in those patients with a higher risk of needing MR scanning in the future? Who is at highest risk of needing future MR scanning? |
Medical Coordination | What are the most efficient and safest algorithms for coordination of medical staff from multiple disciplines (radiology, cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology, pacemaker technicians, MR technicians), in assessing, monitoring, and scanning patients? |
Study Type and Quality | What is the spectrum of MR studies that can be performed with MR conditional cardiac devices regarding study types, imaging sequences, and the use of stress testing? What is the impact of MR conditional devices on image quality? How can cardiac MR imaging be performed with MR conditional devices? |
Impact on Care | Does use of MR conditional cardiac devices improve the quality of patient care? What is the optimal approach to MR scanning in a patient with a non-MR conditional device in place regarding risks of extraction and replacement versus scanning with the implanted system? |
Cost | What is the impact of implantation of MR conditional devices on device cost, physician and technologist time and cost for assessment and monitoring of patients? How should reimbursement and reimbursement codes for system placement and peri-scanning monitoring/device assessment be determined? |