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What Happens Before a Heart or Heart-Lung Transplant in Children?

If your child is being considered for a heart and/or lung transplant, several things will happen:

A Team Assembles
A transplant team will be assembled to monitor and take part in the process. Members of the team will typically include transplant surgeons, nurses and nursing specialists, transplant coordinators, social workers, laboratory staff and many others. These professionals are the ones you can turn to for answers to your questions and concerns.

Medical Evaluation
The patient will also be screened to ensure he or she is a good candidate for transplantation. General health is an obvious consideration. Many medical factors--from blood type to organ function tests to viral studies–also will be performed.

Getting on the List
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh will provide your child’s transplant information to the United Network for Organ Sharing. UNOS oversees the distribution and allocation of donor organs in the United States. The patient will be assigned a medical status code that reflects his current medical condition. The status code will change as the patient’s medical condition changes. Medical urgency is just one of the factors taken into consideration.

While Waiting
While the patient waits for a donor organ, the transplant team may prescribe specific activities in the regular course of care of the patient. The patient may have to follow a certain diet, have regular exercise or take medication. It is important to maintain regular communication with the medical team at Children’s to monitor any changes in the patient’s medical condition. If you have any questions, contact your child’s transplant team.

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