Visiting your general practitioner, undergoing an X-ray or an ECG: Many medical appointments and tests will not affect your implant. However, some medical procedures can only be carried out if the physician follows certain safety precautions. Below, you will find more information on how you can best prepare for medical appointments.
Once you have received a cardiac implant, speak with your cardiologist about how to approach medical appointments in the future. Some procedures should only be carried out after taking the necessary precautions, such as surgery procedures, including dental ones.
Before every exam and by the time you make an appointment, please inform medical staff that you have a pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or device for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Once you arrive for your appointment, please remind medical staff again and always show your patient ID card. Very few medical procedures like the use of heat to treat muscles in physical therapy (diathermy) is not advised for cardiac device patients. The electromagnetic fields used by diathermy may interfere with the function of the cardiac device and may induce currents that cause excessive heating of metal devices in the body.
A special case of medical examinations are Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans. They are among the most important examination procedures nowadays. Due to their strong magnetic fields, however, you and your cardiologist will need to take extra precautions. Read more about cardiac devices and MRI scans here.
