Kidney Transplant Program

A kidney transplant is an operation in which a person whose kidneys have failed receives a healthy kidney from a donor. Donated kidneys can come from deceased donors and living donors.

Deceased donations are made possible when family members donate another family member’s organs after a fatal illness or accident. These donations happen at one of the most difficult moments a family can face – the loss of a loved one. Despite their grief, they make the unselfish decision to give the gift of life to another child.

Living donors also offer a generous gift.  Because most people can safely live with one kidney, a relative, friend or even a stranger can donate a kidney and enable a child to get a life-saving transplant.

Types of living donors include:

• Related donors: Family members who are related by blood to the patient.
• Unrelated donors: Family and friends who are not related by blood to the patient.
• Altruistic donors: People who donate a kidney simply to help a child in need.

Phoenix Children’s works with nearby St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center for the evaluation and kidney surgery of adult donor candidates. More than 40% of kidney transplants at Phoenix Children’s involve a living donor, giving the recipient a better chance of a successful outcome.

Kidney paired donation is an option used when someone wants to donate a kidney but they are not a good match with the person needing the transplant. The donor pair “swaps” kidneys with another donor pair who were not compatible so that each recipient has a match. Swaps are most frequently done in pairs of two but can include three or more donor pairs to create a chain that helps multiple people who need a kidney transplant.

Kidney paired donations expand the number of potential donors, reduce waiting times and tend to offer better long-term outcomes than an organ from a deceased donor. The Phoenix Children’s Kidney Transplant Program recently participated in one of the largest pediatric-focused paired exchanges in the country.

• Arizona’s only pediatric kidney transplant program. Since we began in 2002, our team of experts has performed more than 300 kidney transplants. Our one-year patient survival rate is 100% and we regularly achieve three-year patient survival rates of 98% or better.
• Leader in living donor programs. More than 40% of the kidneys we transplant come from living donors, well exceeding the national average. Kidneys from living donors tend to last longer and function better than organs from deceased donors.
• National leadership. We participate in the Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative (IROC), a multicenter learning network of patients, families, physicians and researchers from 36 pediatric hospitals nationwide. The collaborative shares detailed data, quality improvement methods and best practices to ensure that children receive the highest-quality transplant care possible.
• Comprehensive, coordinated care. If your child needs dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant, our Erma Bombeck Dialysis Centeroffers complete dialysis services that include hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and continuous renal replacement therapy. The center is the only freestanding pediatric dialysis facility in the state.