My fiancé is currently at Kings Mill hospital in Nottinghamshire. He needs an MRI as he has an infection that is causing stroke like symptoms so the MRI is to see if he has had a stroke or not.
However, NHS trust fund are refusing the MRI (even though his pacemaker is compatible) because he did not have his pacemaker fitted at this hospital or in Nottingham.
Can anyone please explain to me why they are refusing the MRI?
I would contact PALS to check if the hospital are correct in their demands.......I guess they want your partner to go back to the hospital where the pacemaker was fitted. Also i would contact your MP urgently to intervene.Go to their surgery rather than write to the MP. You need some swift action by the sound of it.
Sorry to hear of your trouble, Rebel_x. Not wishing to pry, but is your fiance a resident or a visitor to your area? The hospital's stance sounds quite wrong to me, and residency is the only thing I can think of which might explain it. Not that that would make it right, as it would mean that anyone with an adverse cardiac history couldn't travel beyond their own county if he or she were concerned that another cardiac event might occur. Does your fiance have a GP you could turn to?
I've not been very helpful, but perhaps someone in this community can help you further.
Ask someone to provide the written NHS directive that stipulates that they are allowed to decline providing the MRI investigation. What alternative do they propose? Are they proposing to discharge your fiance, and if so what is the follow up plan.
Does he have his pacemaker ID card with him to show the details of his pacemaker & that it is mri compatible?I have heard of mri's being refused because they don't know what someone's sternal wires are made of without a letter from the relevant hosp.
Does anyone know whether adjustments have to be made to the pacemaker (at the original hospital) or to the scanner (at the current hospital) prior to MRI?
Just a thought.
I have been waiting 5 months for an MRI scan at QMC. I could have had it carried out three months ago but because I have a pacemaker there has to be a technician present when the procedure is performed. However I understand that a technician is only available about twice a week, hence the long wait.
Does he have any other metal in his body apart from the pacemaker as I was refused one as I have metal in me since birth but because they didn't know what it was made of they decided not to do the MRI.
Hope that helps.
i had delays getting heart MRI at my local hospital, in spite of telling them the details of the model of ICD etc. I’d had fitted elsewhere.
They wanted written confirmation (technician to technician) from the specialist Centre that fitted it, before they would do the MRI. I guess avoiding possible damage to their machine.
If he has written evidence that the pacemaker is comparable and the length of time he has had it then they should not refuse but there is no reason that he couldn’t have CT
This may add further confusion, but it is the case that the pacemaker and the leads all need to be compatible. In my case I was upgraded from a two lead pacemaker to a 3 lead CRT-P of different manufacture. This used my original 2 leads plus an extra lead from the company that makes the new box. The system as a whole is now considered not MRI compatible as the CRT-P company will not underwrite the existing leads! I am aware that different hospitals take a more pragmatic view and will do an MRI as there is clearly no medical reason why the system wouldn't be compatible.
I’m in kingsmill now and won’t do mri this morning as have a pacing wire left in from surgery
The saga goes on.
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CRT-d 
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