Pediatric Liver Transplant - Liver Failure in Children

The pediatric Liver Transplantation department at Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, offers a multidisciplinary approach to pediatric liver transplant services for children and infants. Our pediatric hepatologist staff provides the full spectrum of pediatric subspecialty services required by children who need liver transplants.

What are some common diagnoses that can require pediatric liver transplant?
Children's Mercy is dedicated to diagnosing and treating liver failure in children, liver disease in children, which is also known as hepatic failure in children. Some common diagnoses that can require a liver transplant are Hepatitis C, acute liver failure, liver tumor, Wilson's Disease, cirrhosis and cystic fibrosis.

How is the Pediatric Liver Transplant department at Children's Mercy Hospital different?
Our highly experienced pediatric transplant physicians (pediatric intensivists), pediatric gastroenterologists, pediatric transplant surgeons, transplant coordinator (nurse), pediatric hepatic dietitian, social worker, child life specialist, and developmental specialists work with the child's primary care physician before, during and after a transplant to provide the most comprehensive care available in Kansas City and the Midwest.

Why is Children's Mercy Hospital the best children's hospital for pediatric liver transplant?
The Children's Mercy pediatric liver transplant team has more than 40 years of experience. We have made a commitment to offering the highest quality pediatric transplant care, education, research and childhood advocacy. Our patient outcomes for the pediatric liver transplant program are among the best in the nation, with an actual patient survival rate of 89 percent and graft survival of 83 percent since 1998.

What is the Liver Care Center?
The Children's Mercy Liver Care Center is one of only a few comprehensive pediatric transplant, treatment and research centers nationwide dedicated exclusively to pediatric liver care and pediatric liver transplant. The Liver Care Center brings together pediatric clinical and research expertise in gastroenterology, general and thoracic surgery, critical care medicine, hepatology, nursing, pharmacology and radiology to offer a more integrated, comprehensive approach to liver disease and liver failure for children from birth to age 18.

Click here for more information on Children's Mercy Liver Care Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Pediatric Nephrologist Staff
Walter S. Andrews, MD, Pediatric Liver Surgeon
Specialty Interests: Liver and kidney transplantation

James (Jack) Daniel, MD, Pediatric Hepatologist
Specialty Interests: Gastroenterology, Liver Transplant, Liver Care

John F. Sommerauer, MD, Pediatric Liver Surgeon
Specialty Interests: Liver failure and transplantation, brain injury & neuroprotection, clinical research

Pediatric Liver Transplant

Common Diagnoses

All pediatric hepatic related diseases, such as:

• Liver failure in children
• Acute fulminant hepatic failure
• Biliary atresia
• Alagille syndrome
• Auto-immune hepatitis with cirrhosis
• Idiopathic cirrhosis
• Alpha-1-Antitrypsin deficiency
• Neonatal hepatitis
• Hepatitis C cirrhosis
• Wilson's disease
• Metabolic diseases
• Cystic fibrosis related biliary cirrhosis
• Hepatic tumors
• Hepatic failure

Pediatric Liver Transplant

Services & Treatments

• Dialysis: Comprehensive care, family support and education for children (ages 0-18) with liver failure or transplants
  
  
• In conjunction with Gastroenterology, we participate in the evaluation and management of children with acute and chronic end stage liver failure in children
  
  
• We also help prepare patients for pediatric liver transplantation.
  
  
• We perform whole organ, reduced size and split liver transplants in children
  
  
• Post-transplant follow-up care for children
  
  
• Liver transplant coordinators, surgeons and pediatric hepatologist staff are available for consultation, referral and patient management assistance at all times
  
  
• Our staff provides ongoing assistance to referring physicians for the long-term management of transplant patients. Areas of emphasis include:
  --Immunosuppression regimen
  --Management and prevention of related infectious and non-infectious complications
  
  
• Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Room accommodations for patient families
  
  

Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics is the Kansas City region's exclusive pediatric medical center and health care network. Our physicians, nurses and technicians are all trained specifically to work with children. We provide the finest care possible in the following pediatric subspecialties: Adolescent Medicine; Allergy/Asthma/Immunology, Anesthesiology; Bone Marrow Transplant; Burn/Trauma Care; Cardiology; Cardiovascular Surgery Cleft Palate/Craniofacial; Clinical Pharmacology; Clinical Toxicology; Critical Care Medicine; Dentistry; Dermatology; Developmental and Behavioral Sciences; Ear, Nose and Throat (Otorhinolaryngology); Emergency Medicine; Endocrinology/Diabetes; Gastroenterology; General Pediatrics; General/Thoracic/Urologic Surgery; Genetics; Gynecological Surgery; Hearing and Speech; Liver Transplant; Hematology/Oncology; Home Care; Hospitalists; Infectious Disease; Medical Research; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Neonatology; Nephrology; Neurology; Neurosurgery; Nursing; Occupational Therapy; Ophthalmology, Orthopaedic Surgery; Pathology/Laboratory Medicine; Physical Therapy; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Pulmonology; Radiology; Rehabilitation Medicine; Respiratory Care; Rheumatology; Transport; Transplantation; Vision Sciences. Click here for additional information.