Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital First to Offer MRI-Compatible Internal Defibrillator for Heart Patients

(New Brunswick)- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJ) is the first hospital in the state to implant a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) system that is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for use with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

Two patients with heart conditions had the ICDs implanted by Dr. Deepak Saluja, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Director of the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory at RWJ. Many patients rely on ICDs to detect irregular heartbeats and deliver life-saving therapy to restore a normal heartbeat. An ICD is a small implantable heart device that is placed under the skin typically just below the collarbone on the left side of the chest. For patients with certain cardiac conditions, ICDs may be implanted to continuously monitor the heart rhythm and deliver an electrical shock to correct a life-threatening arrhythmia, if detected.

However, until now, patients with ICDs have not been able to receive MRI scans because of potential interactions between the MRI and the device function, which might result in a risk to patients. These MRI restrictions have resulted in a critical unmet need as data have shown that, within four years, more than one-third of patients with ICDs are likely to need an MRI. Manufactured by Medtronic, the Evera MRI™ SureScan® ICD System has been FDA approved to allow for MRI scans on any part of the body. The system includes design enhancements from previous generation devices that allow it to safely undergo full-body MRIs. Receiving FDA-approval means the ICD’s lead wires are safe for use with an MRI. The ICD’s generator also features a protective coating that makes the device MRI-compatible.

MRI is an imaging test used regularly for a wide range of diagnoses including conditions such as stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and muscle, bone and back pain, all which are prevalent among older adults.

“The main benefit is that these patients can now safely have an MRI to help detect other medical issues they may have,” explains Dr. Saluja. “It is the preferred diagnostic imaging test for many conditions so it is important that these patients have access to this option.”

Dr. Saluja added that giving these patients access to MRI technology could potentially have life-saving benefits, especially for stroke patients. He notes that an MRI can confirm a stroke diagnosis much faster than a CT scan. The expression “time is brain” is often used when referring to the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. Confirming a stroke diagnosis immediately gives patients the option of receiving the clot-busting drug tPA within the recommended three-hour time frame since the onset of symptoms.

“A CT scan may not show signs of certain strokes for up to 24 hours, but it may be detected by MRI much faster,” Dr. Saluja explains. “The MRI is the test of choice for many conditions.”

RWJ offers the most advanced care options and facilities for cardiac arrhythmias, heart valve and cardiovascular disease, heart failure and transplantation. In partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and private cardiologists in the community, RWJ offers a broad range of innovative cardiac specialty services for patients including:

• Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as a bridge to heart transplant; RWJ is also certified by the Joint Commission to offer LVADs as a life-saving destination therapy to patients are not eligible for heart transplant
• Access to clinical trials
• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
• Board-certified cardiac anesthesiologists
• RWJ is one of two hospitals in New Jersey that is Medicare certified to in NJ certified to perform heart transplants; the program has a 97% one-year survival rate and shorter waiting times; our heart transplant program continues to post the best survival rates in the state for patients one year after transplant.
• 3-D transesophageal echocardiography
• Stereotaxis Remote Navigation System, which delivers a flexible, robotically delivered catheter to destroy small areas of heart tissue responsible for arrhythmias. RWJ is among the nation’s most experienced cardiovascular centers in the use of this technology.

· RWJ is also among the largest open heart surgery programs in our region and we currently have the busiest cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology laboratories in the state.

To learn more about RWJUH, please visit www.rwjuh.edu. For a referral to a physician affiliated with RWJUH, please call 1-888-MD-RWJUH. Follow us on Twitter at www.rwjuh.edu/twitter and Facebook at www.rwjuh.edu/facebook.