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Abstract #1143

MRI Conditional Pacemakers: The Cooling Effect of Blood Flow in the Heart Chambers

Ramez E. N. Shehada1, Rohan More1, Sassan Rahbari1, Richard Williamson1, Ali Dianaty1

1CRMD, St. Jude Medical, Sylmar, CA, United States


MRI conditional pacemaker leads may increase in temperature primarily due to RF-induced heating; however, large segments of the leads reside in blood vessels and can benefit from the cooling effect of the surrounding blood flow. An in-vitro flow setup was developed to simulate in-vivo flow conditions around pacemaker leads and was used to determine the percent temperature reduction in the lead due to blood flow. Blood flow may reduce temperature-rises in the distal end of pacemaker leads by 83-87% and can be used to mitigate moderate heating of the distal segments of MRI conditional pacemaker leads.