Pediatric Heart Transplant Outcomes

Higher is better

Source: Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) Patients less than 18 years old; Survival rate for hearts transplanted between 7/1/2019 and 3/12/2020, and 6/13/2020 and 12/31/2021; data released January 2023 SRTR. Data from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic through 6/12/2020 are not included in SRTR’s dataset.

What it means:

Of the 25 patients who received heart transplants at Children’s Colorado between July 2019 and December 2021*, 96% of patients were alive 30 days and 1 year after their heart transplant.

Looking at a longer timeframe with a total of 33 patients, 96.97% of our patients were alive 3 years after their transplant (heart transplants performed January 2017 through June 2019).

Children’s Colorado’s patient-survival rate 30 days after heart transplant is slightly lower than the national average. Our patient-survival rates exceed the national average at one year and three years after transplant.

*Patient survival for 30-day and 1-year survivial rates for hearts transplanted between July 1, 2019 and March 12, 2020, and June 13, 2020 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Data released January 2023 by SRTR. Data from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic through 6/12/2020 are not included in SRTR’s dataset.

Time spent on the heart transplant waiting list

Any family whose child needs a lifesaving transplant can tell you that waiting for a donor heart is difficult. While we cannot predict the timing of your child’s heart transplant, we do have state-of-the-art ventricular assist devices that help many children while they wait on the transplant list.

Time spent waiting for a transplant depends on a complex number of factors, including how well your child matches the donor (blood type, organ size, etc.), how sick they are, total time on the waiting list, how many donors are available in the local area and their ability to receive a transplant immediately. In Colorado, we are fortunate to have a high percentage of registered organ donors as well as a high percentage of families who authorize donation when their family member is not registered or is under age 18.

One way to compare time on the waiting list by transplant center is a measure called median time to transplant.

Median time to heart transplant

What we measure:

Median time to transplant measures the midpoint (middle) value in days that patients waited for a heart from a deceased donor. Below we compare Children’s Colorado with other transplant centers in our region and across the country.

Lower is better

Source: Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). Candidates registered for the waiting list between July 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021. SRTR data released January 2023.

What it means:

Half of our patients waited less than 3.3 months while the other half waited more than 3.3 months. Our patients spend less time waiting for a heart transplant than patients at other transplant centers in the region and nationwide.

Time spent in the hospital after a heart transplant

After a successful heart transplant, our goal is to get your child home and back to a normal schedule as soon as possible. Another way to evaluate transplant centers is to compare the time patients spend in the hospital after their transplant.

Time spent in the hospital after a heart transplant can depend on the complexity of cases in the time period. At Children’s Colorado, our heart transplant team takes on some highly complex cases, meaning some patients may need more time to recover.

Median time in the hospital after heart transplant

What we measure:

Median time in hospital measures the midpoint (middle) value in days that patients remain hospitalized following their heart transplant.

Lower is better

Source: United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS) - UNOS Benchmark Report, verified by Children's Colorado Transplant Team members. Transplants performed between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022.

What it means:

At Children’s Colorado, half of our patients were discharged from the hospital less than 14.5 days after their transplant. The remaining half were discharged after 14.5 days. This is lower than the regional and national median.

How we’re improving care for kids who need heart transplants

Each heart transplant patient is unique. That’s why we keep careful track of their condition and provide individualized care before and after their heart transplant.

At Children’s Colorado, our Heart Transplant Program includes a multidisciplinary team of cardiac transplant specialists and surgeons who partner with dedicated transplant pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, child life specialists and other team members to provide the best possible care for your child. This team works together to treat not only their heart condition and physical health but their mental and emotional needs, as well.

We also provide cardiac rehabilitative services that help heart transplant recipients get back to good health and normal childhood activities. Even after patients return home, we continue to support their well-being and quality of life through our Heart Institute Wellness Program.

Use Conquering CHD’s Hospital Navigator to help you compare hospitals for congenital heart surgery.

Learn even more about our quality and patient safety standards and cardiac surgery outcomes at the Heart Institute.

For questions about outcomes data, please call 720-777-3218.