The Children’s Kidney Transplant Program is the largest pediatric kidney transplant program in the Southeast by volume, providing comprehensive pre- and post-transplant services to children who need a kidney transplant. We have a multidisciplinary team of pediatric kidney transplant specialists committed to delivering the best possible care for complex kidney conditions. This team includes:
- Nephrologists
- Kidney transplant surgeons
- Immunologists
- Genetic counselors
- Advanced practice providers
- Pathologists
The Children’s Kidney Transplant Program team understands more than just kidney transplant surgery; we understand children. And we know that each one is unique. That’s why we create personalized treatment plans, combining medical management, nonsurgical care, kidney surgery and kidney transplantation, based on the individual needs of each patient. To help make treatment as seamless as possible for patients and their families, we also provide coordinated pre- and post-transplant services and comprehensive support services, guiding kids and families through each stage of treatment.
Why Choose the Children’s Kidney Transplant Program?
- Child-focused care: We are one of just a few transplant programs in the country that has dedicated pediatric kidney transplant surgeons who are dual-trained in both abdominal transplant and pediatric surgery.
- Kidney transplant expertise: The Kidney Transplant Program at Children’s has become one of the largest programs in the Southeast and one of the largest pediatric kidney transplant programs in the country by volume since its inception in 1988*, with shorter wait times for donor kidneys than the national average.**
- Comprehensive support services: At Children’s, we understand that a kidney transplant is not just a single event, and requires a family-centered approach to care. We provide patients and families with the support they need at each phase of treatment.
A kidney transplant surgery is a procedure in which doctors remove sick kidneys and replace them with healthy ones from a kidney donor.
How does a kidney transplant work?
Before your child is approved for a pediatric kidney transplant, they will undergo a pre-transplant evaluation—a series of tests that may include a routine medical exam, blood tests, imaging tests, breathing tests and other evaluations at Children’s.
- A deceased donor transplant provides your child with a kidney from a person who has recently passed away. To receive a transplanted kidney from a deceased donor, your child is placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waitlist.
- A living donor kidney transplant is an option when someone volunteers to give your child one of their kidneys. The donor’s remaining kidney works well enough for them to have a normal quality of life, and the transplanted kidney that your child receives takes over the work of their two sick kidneys.
Kidney Paired Donation
Children’s also offers a paired donor exchange transplant. This option is available when two patients each have a willing, healthy donor, but their donor is not a compatible match. In this case, the patients can “swap” donors, allowing each to receive a kidney that is a better match.
The Children’s Paired Donor Exchange Program helps reduce wait times for potential transplant recipients, making optimal use of willing donors.
Kidney Transplant Handbook for Patients and Families
At Children’s, we want patients and families to be well-informed should a kidney transplant surgery be necessary. Read our Kidney Transplant Handbook for more information about kidney transplants, as well as details on what to expect before, during and after surgery.
A child may need a kidney transplant if they have severe kidney problems or a disease that can lead to kidney failure, also known as renal failure.
Conditions that may require a kidney transplant include:
- Alport syndrome: a rare inherited condition that affects the body’s collagen, leading to changes in the kidney’s filtering system that can cause kidney disease or progressive kidney failure.
- Dysplastic or cystic kidneys: a condition in which cysts grow inside the kidneys, typically affecting children at birth.
- Glomerulonephritis: a kidney disease that is characterized by inflammation of the glomeruli, the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys that filter waste from the blood. It can cause high blood pressure, fatigue and eventually lead to chronic kidney disease, nephrotic syndrome and acute kidney failure.
- Goodpasture syndrome: a rare autoimmune disease that can cause damage to the lungs and kidneys.
- Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS): a condition that occurs when the small blood vessels throughout the body become inflamed. It can lead to blood clots forming in the blood vessels that ultimately damage the kidneys.
- Lupus erythematosus: an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the kidneys and other organs.
- Nephrotic syndrome: a condition that causes damage to the tiny filtering units in the kidneys, leaking large amounts of waste and proteins into the urine.
- Nephropathy: a broad term used to describe a kidney problem caused when the filtering system of the kidney is damaged.
- Urinary reflux or posterior urethral valves: a condition in which urine flows backwards from the bladder, causing urinary tract infections and kidney damage.
- Wegener’s Syndrome: an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of the blood vessels that can affect multiple organs, including the kidneys. It can lead to glomerulonephritis and, ultimately, kidney failure.
Nontransplant Surgical Expertise
In addition to comprehensive pediatric kidney transplant services, Children’s offers nontransplant surgical services for some complex kidney conditions. Your doctor will carefully discuss treatment options with you to determine the best procedure for your child.
Conditions that may require kidney surgery include:
- Wilms tumors: a rare type of kidney tumor that is primarily diagnosed in young children. Children’s performs advanced resections including partial nephrectomies.
- Reno-vascular hypertension: a condition that occurs when the blood vessels that carry blood to the kidneys are too narrow, causing them to release hormones that increase blood pressure. Children’s performs corrective surgeries for this condition, including kidney auto transplant.
- Nutcracker syndrome: a condition in which the left renal vein leading from the kidneys is compressed , causing reduced pain, blood in urine and kidney damage. Children’s performs renal vein transposition and other procedures to treat this condition.
- Mid aortic syndrome: a rare condition in which there is a narrowing of the aorta, the main artery that supplies blood to the other arteries, resulting in reduced blood flow to the organs and lower extremities. Children’s performs reconstruction of the blood vessels to treat this condition.
Nontransplant Surgical Treatments
We offer nontransplant surgical treatments that include:
- Complex renal tumor resections: a surgical procedure to remove tumors from the kidney.
- Renal auto transplant: a surgical procedure for patients suffering from kidney disease in which their own kidney is repositioned within the body.
- Minimally invasive nephrectomy for benign disease: a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which a patient’s kidney or part of their kidney is removed due to diseases that are resulting in reduced kidney function. This can be performed without interrupting peritoneal dialysis, if necessary.
- Dialysis access, including arteriovenous (AV) fistula, peritoneal (PV) catheter and hemodialysis catheters: a procedure for patients with chronic kidney disease in which a catheter is placed for dialysis, which removes waste products from the blood.
We understand that kidney transplant surgery is just the beginning of a long journey for your child. Children who have a kidney transplant are required to take medications to keep the body from rejecting the new kidney, and they need follow-up visits and frequent testing to monitor their health and look for signs of infection or kidney transplant rejection. The risk of an infection is greatest in the first three to six months after a kidney transplant.
Support for Kidney Transplant Patients and Families
You are an integral part of your child’s care team, and we will work with you to create treatment plans that are best for you and your child. We understand that having a child undergoing a kidney transplant procedure can be a stressful time, and we offer a variety of transplant-focused services to help you navigate emotional, financial and spiritual challenges. This includes transplant financial coordinators who closely work with families throughout the authorization process, transplant nurse navigators who guide your child through treatment, transplant-dedicated social workers, a clinical pharmacist, as well as many other resources, such as:
- Chaplains
- Child life specialists
- Family experience liaisons
- Financial services
- Transplant financial coordinators
- Camps and support groups
- Transplant-dedicated social workers
- School teachers
- Psychologists
- Transplant clinical pharmacist
- Transplant clinical nurse coordinators
Led by Rouba Garro, MD, Medical Director and Richard Hendrickson, MD, Surgical Director, the Children’s Kidney Transplant Program team is dedicated to caring for infants, children and young adults before, during and after a pediatric kidney transplant. Our team includes:
Kidney transplant surgeons
Pediatric nephrologists
- Rouba Garro, MD
- Roshan P. George, MD
- Laurence A. Greenbaum, MD, PhD
- Stephanie M. Jernigan, MD
- Sabina S. Kennedy, MD
- Hyunjung Stella Shin, MD
- Chia-shi Wang, MD
- Barry L. Warshaw, MD
Advanced practice providers
Arthur M. Blank Hospital
2220 North Druid Hills Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
404-785-1807
*Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) National data
**Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) time to transplant for waiting list candidates
Contact Us 800-605-6175