Our
heart transplant program helps your child with end-stage heart disease be active,
grow, and develop with minimal limitations. The transplant team consists of
thoracic surgeons, cardiologists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, nurse
coordinators, social workers, pharmacists, dietitians, and financial counselors.
All working with various pediatric specialists and support services, we partner
with you to provide complete care to you and your family.
Heart Transplant Program
Helping your child with end-stage heart disease lead an active, fulfilling life.
What sets us apart
We provide specialized care for kids who need new hearts, and we help them as they grow.
95%+
Success rate for the past 3 years
10+
heart transplants performed each year, on average
35+
years experience
Our care team
Our team is led by nationally recognized experts with more than 75 years of combined pediatric heart transplant experience. The transplant team is here to help you, your child, and family, and includes pediatric cardiologists, heart transplant surgeons, registered nurses, social workers, transplant assistants and coordinators, pharmacists, dietitians, and other support staff.
Child & family care
We understand how important it is to support the entire family when a child has serious health issues. In addition to focusing on the best care for your child, we have dedicated resources for family support. Our team includes physicians, therapists, child life specialists, teachers, and volunteers that engage your family with therapeutic activities, positive distraction, and social support.
Pediatric to Adult Transition Program
Adolescents and young adults face risk when transferring their care from a pediatric setting to adult care. Children who received a transplant at a very young age may not have a good understanding of their chronic condition and may be more dependent upon the adults in their lives for care. The goal of our transition program is to prepare these adolescents, young adults, and caretakers for a successful transfer to adult care. Completing our transition program helps your child achieve health empowerment and optimizes their independence to provide self-care to the best of their ability.
Excellent outcomes
What to expect
Although every child’s health journey is personal, we want you to be familiar with our heart transplant process.
As part of the evaluation for heart transplant, our team of experts will assess whether heart transplantation is a good fit for your child. They will also consider alternatives to a transplant and help you decide the approach that is best for your child and your family.
Our team will perform all the diagnostic tests required—including blood and urine tests, echocardiogram, ECG, EKG and, if necessary, heart biopsy. In addition, our social worker and child life specialist will help make sure your entire family is prepared and able to participate in your child’s recovery.
Once we have determined that heart transplant is a good fit for your child, they will be placed on a waiting list with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) for a donor heart. Your child is prioritized based on medical urgency and the wait can vary from a matter of days to several months to years. Once a suitable heart is available, your transplant coordinator will notify you and begin the matching process.
The heart transplant surgery itself takes between four and six hours. During the transplant, our team of experts place your child on heart bypass to supply oxygen to the organs. With your child safely on heart and lung support and under the watch of a pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist, we remove the damaged organ and attach the new heart. Once everything is connected, we remove your child from bypass. Our team will keep you updated on your child’s progress throughout the procedure.
Post-surgery, your child will be moved to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) where they will receive the care they need towards recovery. Before your child is discharged, a transplant coordinator will work with you and our transplant team to make sure you know everything you need to obtain the best care. We’ll provide you with a detailed follow-up care plan for the months and years ahead. Know that our team is available 24/7 to answer your questions.
National recognition
Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation's best children's hospitals in 11 of 11 pediatric specialties, including cardiology.
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