Does the metal detector at the airport go off after mitral valve annuloplasty with a metal prosthetic ring?

Airport Metal Detectors After Mitral Valve Annuloplasty

Metal detectors at airport security checkpoints do not typically interfere with or detect mitral valve annuloplasty rings. 1

Metal Detection and Cardiac Implants

• Metal detectors at airport security checkpoints do not interfere with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) such as pacemakers or ICDs 1
• Patients with cardiac implants should move through metal detector gates at normal walking speed and should not linger to minimize any potential risk of interference 1
• Hand-held scanners should not affect cardiac device functionality, but patients should ask security personnel to move the wand over the device quickly and only once 1

Factors Affecting Metal Detection

• Detection of implants by airport security is influenced by several factors:

  • The mass of the implant (larger implants are more likely to be detected) 2
  • The transit speed through the detection field (slower transit increases detection probability) 2
  • The type of metal used in the implant (different metals have varying detection thresholds) 2

• Most single joint replacements do not activate metal detectors, but multiple joint replacements (three or four) typically do trigger alarms 3

Mitral Valve Annuloplasty Rings

• Mitral valve annuloplasty rings used in valve repair procedures are relatively small metallic components compared to larger orthopedic implants 4, 5
• Common annuloplasty rings such as the Carpentier-Edwards Physio II or the Carpentier-McCarthy-Adams IMR ETlogix are designed to be low-profile and have less metal mass than joint replacements 5, 6
• The small size and relatively low metal content of annuloplasty rings make them unlikely to trigger airport metal detectors 2, 3

Practical Recommendations for Patients

• Patients with mitral valve annuloplasty rings can generally pass through airport security without concerns about triggering metal detectors 1
• As a precaution, patients may want to carry documentation of their cardiac implant when traveling, similar to recommendations for patients with other cardiac devices 1
• If a patient is concerned, they can inform airport security personnel before walking through the detector, although this is typically unnecessary for annuloplasty rings 1

Comparison with Other Cardiac Implants

• Unlike larger prosthetic heart valves (particularly older mechanical valves), annuloplasty rings contain significantly less metal and are therefore less likely to be detected 3
• The risk of detection is much lower than with multiple orthopedic implants or larger cardiac devices 2, 3