 [ Symptoms ] should i get a m r i if i have a pacemaker [ Disease ] generally speaking having an implanted pacemaker does not absolutely rule you out as a candidate for mri that said there are many variables to be considered before a person with a cardiac pacemaker is ever subjected to a magnetic resonance imaging exam some of the risks to the patient undergoing mri with a cardiac pacemaker include soft tissue injury and de programming of the pacemaker obviously either of these can be life threatening studies have shown some newer pacemaker models resist de programming better than older models nonetheless mri generally should not be undertaken on a patient with a pacemaker unless there is a skilled staff member on hand who can re program the pacemaker if it gets de programmed during the test mri is a great test for some things but it often can be replaced by a combination of various other imaging tests such as ct scan plus x ray bottom line this is a question for you and your cardiologist to decide only your cardiologist can determine whether or not it is safe for you to undergo an mri test with a cardiac pacemaker wishing you well