The Kidney Transplant Program at Children's Hospital of Michigan is a unique program designed to meet the needs of children with kidney disease. Our nationally recognized specialists in pediatric nephrology and transplant surgery work closely as part of a large multidisciplinary transplant team.

Our primary goal is improving children's health and saving lives through transplantation, but we also devote significant time and resources to the emotional, psychological and financial needs of our patients and their families. At Children's Hospital of Michigan, we have one focus and one purpose: your child. That means all our transplant services are provided in a child-friendly environment designed to put both children and teens at ease.

Types of Kidney Disease that may lead to Transplantation

Kidney transplant is recommended for children who have serious kidney dysfunction (chronic kidney disease) and will not be able to live without dialysis or a transplant (end stage kidney disease). Some of the kidney diseases in children for which transplants are performed include those that follow below. However, not all conditions require kidney transplantation. Always consult your child's doctor for a diagnosis.

We treat every type of pediatric kidney disease; some of those are listed below:

• Congenital kidney disease
• Glomerular disease
• Recurrent urinary tract infection
• Genetic kidney disease
• Lupus nephritis
• Polycystic kidney disease
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome
• Nephrotic syndrome

Why choose us for your child’s kidney disease and transplant care

A Multidisciplinary Approach

The kidney transplant program at Children’s Hospital of Michigan is a unique program designed to meet the needs of children with kidney disease. As part of the multidisciplinary transplant team, our nationally recognized providers in pediatric nephrology and transplant surgery work closely with pediatric urologists, anesthesiologists, specially trained nurses, pre-and post-transplant coordinators, social workers, dieticians and pharmacists. There’s even a financial coordinator to help families navigate their medical insurance requirements and identify other financial resources as needed.

Collaboration for Better Care

Specialized healthcare providers from CHM along with HFHS Surgeons, specially trained in pediatric transplant surgery, work together to provide the best possible care to children in need of a kidney transplant.

Pediatric Dialysis

Children who need kidney transplants often spend time on dialysis while waiting for transplant surgery. The Pediatric Dialysis Center at Children’s Hospital of Michigan provides a comfortable environment for children and teens.

Program Highlights

We provide comprehensive, specialized transplant care for children and adolescents including options for:

• Desensitization Therapy: We care for highly sensitized patients who face challenges in finding compatible donors, using advanced desensitization strategies to expand transplant opportunities.
• Kidney Paired Donation (KPD): We actively participate in Kidney Paired Donation programs, helping identify compatible living donors when a direct match is not available.
• Combined Organ Transplantation: We offer coordinated, multidisciplinary care for children requiring dual-organ transplantation, ensuring seamless evaluation and management.
• Multicenter Research & Innovation: Through participation in leading multicenter transplant studies, we bring cutting-edge therapies and the latest evidence-based care to our pediatric and adolescent patients.

What to expect if your child needs a Kidney Transplant

During your transplant evaluation you will meet the whole team, review treatment options specific to your child and what to expect throughout the process. Our experienced team is here to help answer your questions and get you on the road to recovery.

Kidney transplantation is a surgical procedure that removes one healthy kidney from a donor and places it in another person who suffers from kidney disease or failure. One transplanted kidney can perform the work of two failed kidneys.

There are three main types of kidney transplant donors:

• Living-related donor-a living family member
• Living-unrelated donor -a friend, member of the community, or an altruistic donor
• Deceased donors -a recently deceased person who wanted to be an organ donor