University of Wisconsin–Madison

Guidelines for Service Hours for Performance of MRI on Patients with Cardiac Devices

Effective July 1, 2026

From

Ali Pirasteh, MD, Chief of MRI, Chair of the MRI Safety Committee, Department of Radiology

Ryan Kipp, MD, Director of Pacemaker and Defibrillator Clinic, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology

Jennifer Wright, MD, Director, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology

Purpose

To provide the hours of operations for safe performance of MRI among patients with cardiac devices.

Details

Patients with some cardiac devices (e.g., pacemakers, ICDs) may undergo MRI, depending on the device type and its MRI safety profile. Safe performance of MRI requires:

  • Careful, detailed identification of the device type and all its components
  • Device programming before and after the MRI exam
  • Patient monitoring during and after the MRI exam

At UW Health, designated personnel from the device clinic and Radiology manage the cardiac devices and monitor patients who undergo MRI. The personnel are only available Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM at University Hospital. There are no qualified, designated personnel who can perform this task beyond these hours.

Patients with cardiac devices may not undergo MRI outside the abovementioned hours or designated location. Staff members (e.g. electrophysiology fellow or attending physicians) are not permitted to provide device programming or monitoring for the purposes of MRI. The Department of Radiology physician should not approve the performance of MRI beyond the mentioned business hours.

Active pursuit of or actual deviation from this protocol by any member of the healthcare team should be documented as a patient safety event as it poses a significant risk to patient safety. Alternative imaging modalities can be discussed with a Department of Radiology physician.

Updated 7/1/2026, Ali Pirasteh, MD