New Pacemaker Allows for MRI

The low heart rate, water retention and fatigue have all but disappeared for Bob Fouts since doctors implanted a pacemaker in the 79-year-old Korean War veteran. To top it off, Fouts will still be able to undergo an MRI for his unrelated back ailment and leg pain because he has a new type of pacemaker that can withstand the test’s powerful magnetic field. The retired security guard was the first patient to have the device implanted in a south suburban hospital — at MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island earlier this year.