Kidney Transplant Program

What Is a Kidney Transplant?

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. Living donation is possible because most people can live with just one healthy kidney. Types of living donors include:

• Related donors: People who are related by blood to the child
• Unrelated donors: Family and friends who are not related by blood to the child
• Altruistic donors: People who donate a kidney but don't have a specific child in mind – they let the medical team decide who should receive it

We work with partners at local adult hospitals to provide a comprehensive evaluation of living donor candidates. The goal is to ensure that living donors are in good physical and mental health and meet other selection guidelines.

Advanced Care

Kidney transplantation is a complex surgery, and Phoenix Children's is committed to providing the most advanced care possible. That is why 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. Phoenix Children's kidney transplant medical director, Gina-Marie Barletta, MD, serves on IROC's national leadership team.

By the Numbers:

We are proud of our outcomes:

• 230 kidney transplants total
• 100% one- and three-year patient survival rate
• 19 years of experience
• 50% of transplants in 2020 performed with living donors

Source: Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients

National Leaders

Phoenix Children's is consistently recognized as a "Best Children's Hospital" by U.S. News & World Report. We are one of only 22 children’s hospitals that to rank in all 10 surveyed specialties for 2021-22.