UNOS Declares Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta First in Kidney Transplant Volumes, Third for Transplants Overall in 2009
Children’s Kicks off Donate Life Month with National Recognition

ATLANTA (March 31, 2010) — Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta kicks off April as Donate Life Month with good news from the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS): Children’s ranked first in pediatric kidney transplant volumes and tied for third in the United States for total pediatric heart, kidney and liver transplant volumes in 2009. With 31 pediatric kidney transplants, Children’s completed the most transplants of the 120 centers performing pediatric kidney transplants. Children’s also ranked among the top 10 centers performing pediatric heart and liver transplants.

With 62 total heart, kidney and liver transplants in 2009, Children’s finished just six transplants behind front-runner Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and with three fewer transplants than Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital of Palo Alto, Calif, Children’s tied for third overall with Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. 

“This national recognition further identifies Children’s as a leader in Transplant care,” said Amy Hauser, Service Line Administrator of the Children’s Transplant Program. “As we enter April, National Donate Life Month, the Children’s Transplant staff joins our families in saluting the organ donors who made it possible for 62 children to receive the gift of life at Children’s last year.” 

The Children’s Transplant Program began in 1980 with the inception of the Children’s Kidney Transplant Program, which has since performed more than 475 kidney transplants. The Children’s Heart Transplant Program began in 1988 and has completed more than 225 heart transplants and four lung transplants. The Children’s Liver Transplant Program was founded in 1990 and has completed more than 300 liver transplants. The Children's Liver, Heart and Kidney Programs have been recognized among the top pediatric programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

For more than 20 years, Children’s has been at the forefront of pediatric transplant care. The Children’s Transplant Program has achieved several groundbreaking accomplishments, including:

Performed more than 1,000 solid organ transplants, one of only two hospitals in the Southeast and a handful in the country to have achieved this milestone 
Transplanted the world’s youngest (10 days old) and three smallest (2 to 4 pounds) liver transplant recipients* 
One of the first pediatric hospitals in the United States to perform three heart transplants in 24 hours 
At the forefront of its field with ABO-incompatible heart transplants 
Performed more than 475 pediatric kidney transplants, making Children’s one of only a few pediatric hospitals to reach such a milestone 

For more information about the Children’s Transplant Program, visit www.choa.org/transplant.