Overview

An MRI scan uses magnets and radio waves to take pictures of the inside of your body. It does not use any radiation.

The results help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition.

You’ve been referred for a cardiac MRI scan, which looks at your heart.

Who can have an MRI scan

Most people can have an MRI scan. It’s a common procedure.

We might need to adjust the way we do your MRI scan, or we might recommend a different procedure for you.

If you weigh more than 90kg (14 stone)

An MRI scanner is a large tube with a short, open tunnel through it. You lie on a bed that moves through the scanner.

The tunnel is usually 60cm to 70cm wide. In some cases, we can use an 80cm wide tunnel.

Call us before your appointment if you weigh more than 90kg (14 stone).

We’ll ask you to measure your shoulders and the widest part of your tummy. Based on these measurements, we'll check if we can do your MRI scan.

If we cannot do your MRI scan, we’ll contact the doctor who referred you. They’ll discuss other options with you.

Medical implants or devices

An MRI scanner uses strong magnets. If you have a medical implant or device in your body, you might not be able to have an MRI scan.

You must tell us if you have a medical implant or device in your body. This includes:

• glucose monitors
• insulin pumps
• cochlear implants
• spinal cord stimulators
• pacemakers
• implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs)
• heart monitors
• artificial heart valves
• aneurysm clips

If you have a registration card for your implant or device, bring it to your appointment.

Metal in your body

Metal can affect the results of your scan and make the images harder to see.

Tell us if you think you have metal in your body or eyes from past injuries, or from working with metal.

Other medical conditions

Tell us if you:

• are pregnant, or might be pregnant
• are breastfeeding
• use inhalers for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• have any kidney problems
• are seeing a specialist kidney doctor
• have had surgery for your brain or head
• have a fear of closed spaces (claustrophobia)

Before your appointment

Confirm your appointment

You must confirm your appointment at least 2 days before. It’s best to do it as soon as you’ve been invited to an appointment.

When you confirm your appointment, let us know if you would like support:

• from a staff member of a specific gender
• in another language
• with how we communicate with you

Complete your safety questionnaire

You’ll get an MRI safety questionnaire with your appointment letter. Fill it in and bring it to your appointment.

Plan your journey

We have MRI scanners in different areas of our hospitals, so make sure you know where you’re going.

Your appointment letter has instructions for getting to the right place.

On the day

You might need to adjust your normal habits to prepare for an MRI scan.

Start making these changes from midnight the night before your appointment.

Drink plenty of water before your scan. Staying hydrated makes it easier to insert a tube (cannula) into your arm.

What to wear

You can wear your usual clothes to hospital. We’ll give you a gown and trousers to change into. This makes sure there is no metal in your clothes, like zips.

Avoid wearing metal jewellery and accessories, like piercings and watches. We’ll ask you to remove them before your scan so it’s best to keep them at home.

We’ll take you to a private changing area and give you instructions for how to wear the gown. If you need help getting changed, ask us.

We have lockers you can use to store your belongings safely during your appointment.

If you feel unwell

Contact us before coming to hospital if you have flu-like symptoms, including:

• a high temperature
• a sore throat
• a cough
• diarrhoea
• being sick (vomiting)

It's important for us to prevent the spread of infection in our hospitals and keep you safe.

At hospital

You should have completed an MRI safety questionnaire before your appointment. We’ll go through this questionnaire together with you to make sure it’s safe to do your MRI scan.

If you’ve also been referred for a cardiac stress scan, you’ll need to complete another form.

Remember to tell us if you have any medical implants or devices, or metal in your body.

During the cardiac MRI scan

A cardiac MRI scan usually takes 45 to 90 minutes.

A trained healthcare professional called a radiographer is in charge of your MRI scan.

There’s usually a team of staff members with you during your appointment. We’re all here to make sure you’re cared for during your scan.

Attaching ECG stickers

The radiographer will attach electrocardiogram (ECG) stickers to your chest and under your breasts. The ECG stickers help us check your heartbeat so we can take pictures of your heart.

If you have hair on your chest, we might need to shave it to make sure the stickers stay in place.

If you feel uncomfortable with us seeing or touching your chest and breasts, let us know. We'll always ask your permission first.

We’ll remove the ECG stickers after your MRI scan. This feels like taking off a plaster.

Using a dye (contrast agent)

A dye (contrast agent) makes the MRI scan images clearer so we can see some structures of your heart in more detail.

If we need to use a dye, we’ll put a small plastic tube (cannula) into your arm. The tube is connected to a machine that releases the dye into your arm.

First, we’ll put saline through the tube to check it’s in the right place. After we’ve confirmed it’s working, we’ll put the dye through the tube.

Let us know if you’ve ever had problems with having a tube (cannula) inserted or using a dye (contrast agent).

The dye can cause some side effects.

1 in 200 people will get common side effects like:

• a headache
• feeling sick (nausea)
• a skin rash
• dizziness

These side effects are not serious and usually go away without treatment.

Cardiac stress scan

Your doctor might have also recommended you do a cardiac stress scan during your MRI scan. This tests the blood flow to you heart.

If you need to do a stress scan, we'll give you another medicine before you go through the MRI scanner. This medicine mimics the effect of moderate exercise. There are 3 versions of this medicine called adenosine, regadenoson and dobutamine. We’ll give you 1 of them.

We might need to put a second tube into your arm, depending on which medicine we give you. Like the first tube, this will be connected to a machine that slowly releases the medicine into your arm.

The medicine will raise your heart rate for a short while. You might feel breathless and your chest might feel tight. This is normal and shows that the medicine is working.

We’ll monitor you carefully to make sure that you’re safe during the scan.

Headphones and earplugs

The MRI scanner is noisy. You might be able to hear loud tapping sounds as you go through the tunnel. We’ll give you earplugs and protective headphones to help with the noise.

The radiographer can talk to you through these headphones.

Pads and cuffs

We’ll put a flat pad over your chest. This is called a coil. It helps pick up signals sent out by your body during the scan to create a higher quality image.

We might also put a small pad (about the size of a glasses case) on your tummy. This is called breathing bellows. It monitors your breathing pattern and helps us to get some of the pictures we need.

Sometimes, we need to monitor your blood pressure during the scan. If we do, we’ll also put a blood pressure cuff around your arm.

Going through the MRI scanner

You’ll lie down on a motorised bed that moves into the MRI scanner. Your head will enter the scanner first.

Try to stay as still as possible during the scan.

The radiographer will control the MRI scanner from the control room.

They can see you through a window. Once you’re inside the scanner, they can see you through a camera inside the scanner.

They can also talk to you through the headphones we give you.

The radiographer will review your scan images during the procedure, together with a cardiologist or radiologist.

Breathing exercises

During the scan, the radiographer will ask you to do some breathing exercises. We'll ask you to:

• breathe in
• breathe out
• hold your breath for up to 15 seconds

If any of these exercises are difficult for you, we'll adjust them so you feel comfortable.

Calling for help

We’ll give you a buzzer to hold while you go through the MRI scanner.

If you need help, squeeze the buzzer. We’ll pause the scan so you can speak to the radiographer. We’ll be able to hear you talk while you’re lying down.

Getting your results

After your MRI scan, specialist doctors carefully review the images so they can write a report. This takes up to 2 weeks.

When it’s ready, we send the report to the doctor who referred you for the scan. We cannot send it to your GP.

Take part in research

You’re invited to take part in research during your scan.

Our research is aimed at improving how we use cardiac MRI scans so that patients get better care.

We’ll ask for your consent to use your scans for teaching and research purposes. If you agree, we’ll remove all your personal information from your scan results before using them in research. This means you’ll be anonymous.

Taking part in research is your decision. Whether or not you want to take part, this will not affect your care and treatment at our hospitals.

Learn more about our research on our website.