Kidney Transplant Program

Waiting for a Kidney Donor

COVID-19 Resources

FAQs: For Children with Kidney Transplant

Video Visits (Telemedicine)

Rady Children’s is committed to safely meeting the health care needs of all children in our community and protecting everyone from exposure to COVID-19. In addition to select on-site visits, our healthcare professionals are now offering video (telemedicine) visits from your computer or mobile device. Telemedicine visits are convenient, effective, safe and available for many of the services we offer for our patients with eligible conditions and services. For more information, please contact us. Learn more.

Overview

Tiffany gave Alejandro the ultimate gift — her kidney. Read about their heartwarming reunion.

A kidney transplant surgery can give a child with chronic kidney disease a new life. A healthy kidney means freedom from dialysis, multiple injections and blood transfusions, along with relief from debilitating symptoms such as weakness and fatigue. A transplant surgery can be life-changing, allowing children to be more active, attend school, travel, have fewer dietary restrictions and just feel better in general.

Our Pediatric Kidney Transplant Program

In 2001, UC San Diego brought its established pediatric abdominal transplant program to Rady Children’s to help provide transplant patients with specialized pediatric services. Since that time, our transplant team of healthcare professionals have performed over 100 pediatric kidney transplants and maintained outcomes well above the national average. The pediatric kidney transplant program is part of the Division of Nephrology, which provides comprehensive care to all pediatric patients with kidney disease, ranging from general kidney problems to dialysis and transplant. The division is routinely recognized as one of the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Our pediatric kidney transplant team works with you or your child before, during and after the transplant surgery. We take a multidisciplinary approach during the transplant process, working closely with the Urology and Rheumatology programs as well as other departments to help address the many common causes of kidney disease. We have social workers, pharmacists, nurses, child life specialists and financial coordinators who specialize in the care of the transplant patients, and this team follows your child through their transplant process and journey. We are able to provide desensitization therapies for patients with high antibody levels and participate in paired exchange programs for pediatric patients with living donors who are not compatible.