What to Expect If Your Child Needs a Kidney Transplant

We accept referrals from your child’s primary care doctor, a specialist or a case manager, or directly from you.

Your child will receive a pre-transplant evaluation before we can begin working with the organizations that handle the organ donation process.

We will review your child’s medical and surgical history and schedule office visits with the transplant doctor and transplant team. The office visits usually take place over 2 days.

Once the pre-transplant evaluation is complete, the transplant team will review your child’s case and determine if a kidney transplant is the best option for your child. If you and the transplant team decide to move forward, we can begin working with the organizations that handle the organ donation process.

If you have a family member or other living donor who is willing to donate a kidney, that person will be evaluated at University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC).

If the donor is a good match, the donor’s surgery will be performed at UWMC, just 2 miles away from Seattle Children’s. Once the kidney is removed from the donor, it will be quickly transported from UWMC to Seattle Children’s for your child’s transplant.

If the donor is not a good match for your child, we partner with the National Kidney Registry (NKR) to look for a paired exchange. This means NKR tries to match your willing donor to a different patient and to match a different living donor to your child. Your transplant coordinator or nephrologist can explain more about this option. Learn more about NKR.

If there is not a living donor available, your child will be placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor.

UNOS is a nonprofit organization that matches organs with patients. They collect information about every transplant in the United States.

There are many things to keep in mind while you are waiting for a kidney transplant.

Preparing your child and your family for the surgery may help reduce everyone’s stress during this time.

Our team will help your family prepare and cope with the experience. We want you to know what’s going to happen each step of the way.

Learn more about what to expect if your child is having surgery, including: 

• What to do once surgery is scheduled
• Tips to help your child feel more comfortable about the surgery
• What to bring the day of the surgery
• What to expect the day of the surgery
• Helpful questions to ask your child’s doctor
• How to prepare for care at home 

Most kidney transplant surgeries last about 4 to 6 hours. During surgery, you will be asked to check in at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on the 6th floor and be given a pager so that staff in the operating room can keep you informed on how your child is doing.

There are many comfortable places to wait at the hospital while your child is in surgery.

Patients begin their recovery in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where we closely monitor how the transplanted kidney is working. Transplant immunosuppression medicines are also started at this time. Most patients stay in the PICU for 2 to 3 days and then are moved to the Surgical Unit.

Learn more about your child’s stay at Seattle Children’s, including: 

• Things to do before your child’s hospital stay
• Preparing your child for a hospital stay
• What to expect during your child’s stay
• Helpful questions to ask your child’s doctor
• What to know after your child leaves the hospital 

See our Hospital Campus Visitor and Family Guide, which includes: 

• Services at Seattle Children’s
• Surrounding neighborhood, including where to stay or to eat 

Once your child leaves the hospital, they will continue to visit the clinic for follow-up care. A regular schedule of visits will make sure that your child:

• Is recovering from surgery
• Has no signs of infection or organ rejection
• Is taking their prescribed medicines
• Is returning to everyday activities

Your child will be cared for by the same team of doctors, nurses and specialists before, during and after transplant. Our skilled team of specialists includes:

Pediatric transplant surgeons

Doctors who perform transplant operations on children

Pediatric nephrologists

Doctors who care for children who have diseases of the kidney

Pediatric urologists

Doctors who treat children with urinary problems

Pediatric anesthesiologists

Doctors who give children medicine during surgery to control pain and movement

Physician assistants

Healthcare providers who are licensed to practice medicine under supervision by a doctor

Advanced registered nurse practitioners

Nurses with master’s degrees who take primary responsibility for the care of their patients

Registered nurse coordinators

Nurses who coordinate who your child will see during clinic visits

Dietitians

Ensure your child gets the nutrition they need for growth and development

Pharmacists

Prepare medications prescribed by doctors and tell you about a medicine’s purpose, effectiveness and side effects

Social workers

Help families understand and address the emotional and practical aspects of medical care

Child life specialists

Work with patients and families to help reduce anxiety, develop positive coping skills and adjust to the hospital experience; also provide information about play, child development and adjustments to illness

Transplant specialists

Schedule visits and help patients and families manage insurance coverage and finances