Transplant Center
Top 3 Nationally
Heart Transplant Survival After Listing
SRTR 7/2020-6/2022
Most
Living Donor Kidney
Transplants in Region
OPTN 7/2023
The Brendan Tripp Elam Transplant Center at Children's Mercy is one of the leading pediatric transplant programs in the country with some of the best outcomes. Our team will help guide you and your family through the process through our expertise.
Our programs
The Heart Failure and Transplant Program provides exceptional care to children of all ages with cardiomyopathy and congenital heart disease. We care for some of the most complex patients while maintaining 100% patient and graft survival at 90 days and 1 year, which is better than our expected outcomes and the national average.
We have performed more than 400 pediatric kidney transplants, making us one of the largest pediatric kidney transplant programs in the region. Our outcomes are among the best in the country, including survival rates that are better than the national average.
Children's Mercy performed its first kidney transplant over 30 years ago. Since that time, we have continued to grow and expand. We are now one of the busiest and most successful transplant programs in our region. Our collaborative team approach to care has achieved some of the best outcomes in the nation.
What sets us apart
- 100% 90-day and 1-year graft survival (SRTR 7/2023)
- Heart
- Kidney
- More solid organ transplants in children younger than 5 years old than any other hospital in the region
- Regional leader in number of patients who receive ventricular assist devices (VADs)
- Living kidney transplant program
Expert care
Your Children’s Mercy transplant team has been specially trained to meet the unique needs of your child and the whole family. The transplant coordinators and physicians are always available to answer your questions.
Your team will include:
- Transplant surgeons
- Transplant physicians (specialists in heart and kidney care)
- Transplant nurse coordinators
- Transplant pharmacists
- Infectious disease physicians
- Registered dieticians/nutritionists
- Psychologists
- Social worker
- Child life specialists
- Spiritual services
- Financial coordinators
- … and others
Experience and outcomes
You can feel comfortable knowing that our transplant team performs many successful solid organ transplants each year.
Children’s Mercy is also a leader in transplant outcomes, meaning that our patients do as well or better than the national average. View survival rates and outcomes for our programs:
What to expect from the Transplant Center
We know that a transplant surgery is stressful time for families. Our goal is to prepare children and families for what to expect during a transplant, from start to finish, so you feel empowered to best navigate your child’s care.
Organ donation
Join the donor registry
You can help raise awareness about the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation by joining the donor registry at Donate Life America and by sharing your decision with your family. You can also follow Midwest Transplant Network on social media and share informative posts with your social network.
Organ Donation Medal of Honor
Our goal is to find an organ for every child who needs one. That is why we are committed supporters of organ donation. Children’s Mercy has twice been honored with the Organ Donation Medal of Honor by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, achieving greater than 95 percent authorization for organ donation.
Stories
CM celebrates its 50th heart transplant: Wrenley's Story
New heart, new normal! The nine-month-old is teething, growing and infinitely curious about the world around her. Wrenley is thriving with her new heart. All thanks to the hard working staff at Children's Mercy.
Kidney Transplant: Zaylee's Story
Zaylee’s journey hasn’t been easy. Born with a rare condition called VACTERL, she faced numerous health challenges from the start. Despite the odds, Zaylee’s resilience and the unwavering support of her family and medical team at Children’s Mercy Kansas City have helped her thrive. Discover how this little fighter overcame the impossible and continues to achieve great milestones.
Father-Son Kidney Transplant: Jack and Geoff's Story
Less than 30% of pediatric kidney transplants come from living donors. In 2019, Geoff gave a kidney to his son, Jack. Today, they are both thriving.
Mother-Daughter Kidney Transplant: Clara's story
Born with one kidney, Clara faced many health challenges. With help from Children's Mercy and mom, Vivi, Clara continues exploring the world and singing along to her mom's favorite tunes.
Heart transplant: Hannah's story
Fifteen year old Hannah could pretend her heart wasn’t a problem during marching band practice by “fake playing” as she paraded around the field. But eventually, the cardiomyopathy that plagued her family forced her off the field and into a hospital bed. There, she could only wait for a donor heart to save her life. Hannah became the first heart-transplant patient at Children's Mercy.
The inspiration behind our center
Brendan Tripp Elam was diagnosed with a rare hereditary disorder, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD), when he was only a few weeks old.
Brendan’s grandparents, Montie and Marjorie Tripp, were so grateful for the expert and compassionate care the Children’s Mercy team provided their grandson. Their generous gift supports the Children’s Mercy transplant program, which was re-named the Brendan Tripp Elam Transplant Center.
Today, Brendan is pursuing a degree in music education at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and plans to become a music educator.