Pediatric Liver Transplant

With pediatric liver clinics throughout the region, often pre- and post-transplant care is just around the corner. The transplant procedure and immediate recovery takes place at the Ochsner Children’s Hospital Pediatric Liver Transplant program at Ochsner Children’s Hospital.

As the body’s second-largest organ, the liver helps the immune system. It removes toxins, creates substances that help the body function properly and stores resources that keep the body strong and healthy. When the liver fails to do its job, the results can be dangerous and even life-threatening. When medication and other therapies don’t work, your child may need a pediatric liver transplant.

Three of the most common reasons a child needs liver transplantation include:

• Biliary atresia. The liver produces bile, which helps digest food. Bile ducts carry this substance where it needs to be. Biliary atresia occurs when scarring blocks bile from passing into the intestine, and it builds up in the liver. This buildup causes liver damage.

• Liver-based metabolic conditions. A dysfunctional liver affects a child’s metabolism. Over time, it may cause issues with the kidneys or other organs.

• Genetic cholestasis syndromes. Inherited genes result in poor use of bile. As a result, bile builds up and may result in end-stage liver disease.

Less commonly, a liver transplant may help children with the following:

• Acute liver failure. With this rare condition, often with no known cause, the liver fails to work.

• Cystic fibrosis. The body produces a thick and sticky mucus that causes problems with various organs.

• Liver tumor. Transplantation is helpful when liver cancer cannot be surgically removed safely.

Depending on your child’s need, pediatric liver transplants can be accomplished a number of different ways. Rest assured that no matter what type of liver transplant your child needs, the Ochsner team has experience and expertise to perform the procedure.

Pediatric liver transplant options include:

• Whole liver transplant. The surgeon transplants a whole donor liver to the patient.

• Split liver transplant. A donated liver gets divided into two parts. The smaller part gets used for the pediatric patient, and the larger section may be transplanted into an adult.

• Living donors. Part of a living person’s liver is removed and transplanted to a child. The liver section remaining in the donor, along with the pediatric recipient’s liver, both grow to proper size over time.

• Cadaveric donors. The liver is removed for transplant following the donor’s death.

Undergoing pediatric liver transplant is a life-changing event for the entire family. It affects physical, mental and financial health. To address these areas, Ochsner surrounds transplant families with a host of support services and programs.

A few of these include:

• Access to Brent House Hotel, which allows quick access to Ochsner for pre- and post-transplant needs

• Child-life specialists who are specially trained to identify and manage a range of pediatric issues revolving around illness and hospitalization

• Specialized support navigating the transplant process, provided by dedicated pediatric transplant social workers

• Ongoing mental health care delivered by transplant psychologists

If your child undergoes a pediatric liver transplant at Ochsner, you’ll interact with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team. Each specialist brings a unique area of expertise and works to ensure your child has a positive transplant experience.

Members of your child’s team may include the following pediatric specialists:

• Child-life specialists

• Dietitians

• Gastroenterologists and hepatologists

• Hospitalists

• Intensivists

• Nurse coordinators

• Palliative care physicians

• Pharmacists

• Transplant psychologists

• Transplant social workers

• Transplant surgeons

Pediatric medicine is always advancing, and your child benefits from those advances. Today’s techniques and technologies help many pediatric liver transplant patients live long, healthy lives.

To continue improving transplantation, Ochsner is a member of the Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation. Member centers submit data to a registry, which is used to identify best practices and high-performing teams. As a result, physicians across the United States and beyond improve process and results for pediatric liver transplant patients.

This is just one more reason U.S. News & World Report ranks Ochsner Children’s Hospital one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, year after year.

Some parts of the transplant journey can take place at home. Families living far from Ochsner appreciate this. It reduces the in-person trips they must take to visit the Ochsner Children’s Hospital Pediatric Liver Transplant program.

Through virtual visits, pediatric patients can access many members of the transplant team. Through an internet connection, virtual visits may be used for pre-transplant screenings, education and help accessing resources to make the transplant journey smoother. Virtual visits are also available for some post-transplant checkups.