New Pacer - Adapta DR

My 22 month old son, Max, got his new generator and leads last week plus they repaired a hernia caused by the first implant at 1 day old. His new pacer is an Adapta DR model (epicardial/abdominal) and I am excited to read about it's stated ability to reduce the impact of long term pacing on the ventrical. He also got 35 cm leads to replace his 15 cm leads that had stretched too short from growth. He is 100% dependant. He is doing very well and though clingy and uncomfortable, he is well managed with just small doses of motrin and tylenol. He is playing more, eating better, and more independent each day.

I would love to hear from people with an Adapta pacer - any issues, comments, etc. Also, people who have received pacers while growing - how many years have you been able to get out of leads this length? Finally, has anyone else developed a hernia after abdominal placement and did it heal totally? They are saying he may need an additional repair of it.

Oh - and he is very small for his age but his EP has said that she has seen anecdotal evidence of growth after a good/new implant - since his heartrate and response should be more natural (he was mostly at 110 BPM 24-7 before). Anyone have this experience - eating better, sleeping better, after surgery?

And really, finally, sleeping. He has been up in the night most nights since his surgery. Is this a normal adjustment phase? Or anxiety and stress?

I really appreciate your attention and responses here. He is quite verbal but not enough to articulate most of this for us. Thank you!!!

Sterling

8 Comments

Pacer

by Lexi3 - 2008-06-16 07:06:24

Hi Sterling,

I am 22 and about 9 weeks ago, I got my third pacemaker, a Medtronic Adapta DR model. I also got a new lead.

So far so good. I had a few complications (pain issues, chest cramping) but other than that I am recovering and doing fine. I had my first pacemaker at 10 and I just now had one of the leads changed. So mine lasted about 13 years. For me, the lead change seems to be the worst part. The pacer battery seems to last about 7-8 years
Awww your little baby has a pacer! Do they make them any smaller for babies or are they the same size.
It is so wonderful we are able to live pretty close to normal lives because of pacemakers!!
Blessings to you and your little one!~
Lexi

Thanks!

by slarnerd - 2008-06-16 08:06:07

Hi Lexi. Thank you for your response! Max's Adapta is exactly the same as yours - same size anyway. It has a bigger battery than his old one (Enpulse) so they did say it should last longer (5-7 years). Because there is so much growth from baby to toddler and then from toddler to child/teen - we would be thrilled if he got 6-8 years out of them.

Is your pacer epicardial - in your abdomen? I was told that once they move his pacer to his chest and place the leads tranvenously, the system will last longer --- maybe they'll do this when he is 10 or so.

Thank you so much again. I, too, am so grateful for pacers!

Pacer placement

by Lexi3 - 2008-06-16 10:06:25

My pacer is implanted in my chest. Upper left corner.
My pediatric cardiologist decided it was safest for kids to have them implanted in the chest--the abdomen can do alot of movement (twists, turning, etc) and the chest is relatively stable. Just his opinion. Since your child is so young it probably doesn't yet matter.
I like that it is in my chest because of cosmetic purposes and future pregnancies.
Take care,
Lexi

Adapta

by dtread - 2008-06-17 07:06:12

Hi, I just wanted to comment that I got an Adapta ADDR01 a year ago, and it works fine. Beyond that there's not much I can add other than you can find the Adapta manuals on the Medtronic website. My situation is considerably different from your son's since I'm rapidly approaching senior citizen status; e.g., AARP and all that. Mine is implanted in upper left chest. I guess its about 2" in diameter. From what I've read about the Adapta it sounds like a very advanced PM technologically. I really can't comment much on how the PM makes you feel as mine is just sitting there most of the time and only kicks in a very small fraction of the time. When I've gotten the reports for "events" I really cannot tell any difference from when its not working. Good luck, you probably have your hands full with him. -Dan

Thanks Dan & Lexi

by slarnerd - 2008-06-18 11:06:04

Thank you for your comments. The head of the pacer program at Stanford said this Adapta model is state of the art and a really exciting breakthrough in pacers. Hearing your experiences helps my anxiety levels! :)
My son is still too small to have a tranvenous placement in his shoulder -- but his next one will probably be there, when he is 7 or 8. B/c he will be paced for hopefully a long life, they like to use the same spot as many times as possible - so they don't run out of viable placement areas. And Dan, you are right - I do have my hands full - he is an energizer bunny! :)

Sterling

Questions about procedure

by migsbon - 2008-11-20 12:11:16

Hi Sterling,

I was surfing the internet looking for info about life with a pacemaker and ran across your post. My son is almost 20 months and is getting his first pacemaker in two weeks. His name is also Max!! He had open heart surgery at two weeks. We thought everything was okay. Well I guess his sinus node is not functioning properly, so he needs a pacemaker. I don't know much about the procedure or what to expect afterwards. like you said in your post, at this age they can't really tell us what they are going through. Your comments would be greatly appreciated. I hope your son, Max is doing well.

Thanks!
Bonnie

Adapta DR Pacer

by April - 2012-03-26 11:03:06

Hi Sterling,
I was doing some pacemaker research when I came across your post. I see that this message is from a few years ago, but I decided to comment anyways in the hope of adding some knowledge to the input that has already been given.
I am 20 years old, and last summer I had my 6th pacemaker implanted, a Medtronic Adapta DR, 100% dependent. All implants including this last one have been in my abdomen, and I have never had a hernia. The surgeon was unsure if this one would be changed to my chest, he said it depended on if my leads still looked good, and if so, it would be left in my abdomen. I'm not sure what size leads I have, but I had them replaced in 2003, and in 2011 I guess they looked good enough to not need to be replaced. However I was told that for my next replacement, the leads would deffinitely be changed and the pacer moved to my chest. What joy that will be, haha!
My last 2 pacers each lasted me 8 years, which seems like a long time, but boy does time fly! It's quite shocking when the doctor tells you it's time to start planning the next surgery, when you swear you just had it done a year or so ago! But other than surgeries, I really don't see how my life was different from any other child. My friends would always make a big deal about it, but most of the time, I practically forgot about even having it. Of course there was always that reminder when my parents would scold me for standing in front of the microwave, and warnings not to play too rough in gym, but I consider those minute differences. I also developed an atrial flutter when I was about 6, it was pretty easily monitored with digoxin, and after a few years I didn't need it anymore.
I hope your son has been doing well with his pacer, and that it will last him as long if not longer than mine have for me! It is so awesome how far medical technology has come, and how much it can change and affect our lives for the better! I hope I was able to be of some help, or atleast peace of mind!

Sincerely,
April

Thankyou

by slarnerd - 2012-03-27 12:03:24

Thank you for your post April - it is wonderful to hear from adults who were paced as children. I am so happy to hear how well you are doing.
Max is 5 1/2 now and is very healthy and active. We have had no issues with the pacemaker or leads, thankfully. He has very few limitations. His older sister, Audrey, who is now 7, also had to be paced at age 4 when her first degree block progressed to second and now has periods of complete block. She has the same model and was also paced epicardially. She is also healthy and active with few limitations. Max has about 4 years left on his battery now and Audrey has 8-9 years since she doesn't require as much power.
I moderate a yahoo group for families of kids with heart block that is very active. We have a few adults too who were paced as children - if you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/heartblockkids/
Best wishes to you!

Sterling

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Member Quotes

I've seen many posts about people being concerned about exercise after having a device so thought I would let you know that yesterday I raced my first marathon since having my pacemaker fitted in fall 2004.