Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center announced it is the first hospital in the nation to conduct an MRI scan of a patient with a new MRI-compatible heart pacemaker.

The Burbank hospital, a unit of the non-profit Providence Health & Services in Seattle, has done more than 400 MRI studies through an FDA-approved grant. The MRI-compatible pacemaker is significant because many elderly patients with cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators need MRI but can’t have them because the strong magnetic fields interfere with the devices’ operation.

An MRI , or magnetic resonance image, is a common diagnostic tool for soft-tissue conditions such as cancer and neurological disorders.

In the study, patient, Karolyi Fenyvesi, 82, of Burbank, was implanted with an Accent MRI Pacemaker designed to be compatible with MRI waves, and an MRI was successfully conducted last week. The pacemaker was manufactured by St. Jude Medical Inc. of St. Paul, Minn.

“With this device and system, we have made a great leap forward, and in this patient actually did an MRI of the heart, with no problems and no artifacts on the scan caused by metal,” said Dr. Raymond Schaerf, who performed the MRI, in a statement.