A defibrillator that allows for MRIs

In May this year, S. Sundar, a 53-year-old city resident, collapsed while on a flight from Delhi to Chennai.

The flight was diverted to Hyderabad where he was treated, and when he came back to Chennai, he got something that is relatively new to the country – an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) that allows for whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The device, which monitors his heart rhythm, will give the heart a shock any time it detects an abnormality that is critical.

Up until now, patients who had pacemakers and defibrillators could not undergo MRIs as this would interfere with the device.

However, the Evera MRI ICD System and the Advisa pacemaker system are both now approved for MRIs and have been used in three patients at Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, said T. R. Murlidharan, head of the cardiology department.

“A section of people who have a history of coronary disease are high-risk, prone to vascular problems. For these patients, such a device is useful, as if they have an ailment in the future, an MRI investigation can be done for better diagnosis and treatment. About five to ten people of every 100 who have had a heart attack would be eligible for an ICD and of these, around 50 per cent would require an MRI at some point,” said Dr. Murlidharan.

“This device has a distinct advantage over the earlier ones, as before, only a CT scan could be performed on such patients. An MRI however, is far superior and MRI-compatible ICDs are definitely very useful,” said K. Kannan, head of the cardiology department, Government Stanley Hospital.

With a high incidence of diabetes and hypertension in the city along with increased stress levels, Asians, especially Indians, are prone to vascular problems, including heart ailments, said S. Thanikachalam, vice-chancellor of the college. “What this ICD can give, is a better quality of life,” he said.

The device costs around Rs. 6 lakh.

(Reporting by Zubeda Hamid)