MRI and Legacy Pacemaker or ICD: Patient Education and Safety Overview

This patient-facing educational handout explains the process, risks, and safeguards involved when patients with legacy (non–MRI-conditional) pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) undergo MRI imaging. It is designed to support informed consent, reduce patient anxiety, and standardize communication around a complex and high-risk device management scenario.

The resource outlines why MRI may still be appropriate despite the lack of FDA MRI safety labeling, summarizes real-world safety experience, and clearly presents potential risks such as device damage, pacing changes, and battery impact. It also describes the coordinated care process involving radiology and electrophysiology teams, including pre-scan device review, device programming before and after MRI, continuous monitoring during the scan, and post-procedure re-interrogation.

This resource supports safe MRI workflows for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices, promotes shared decision-making, and reinforces best practices for interdisciplinary coordination between imaging and device clinics. It can be incorporated into device clinic education, radiology scheduling workflows, and pre-procedure counseling materials to improve patient understanding and safety in device management programs.