Pediatric Heart Failure and Heart and Lung Transplantation
If your child has irreparable heart or lung disease, organ transplantation offers great promise. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia heart-lung transplant program is one of largest in the world and draws upon the collaboration of a closely-knit healthcare team.
Under the leadership of Thomas Spray, MD, Surgical Director of Thoracic Organ Transplant, Joseph Rossano, MD, Medical Director, Heart Transplantation, and Samuel Goldfarb, MD, Medical Director, Lung Transplantation, our program is known both for its excellence and for its comprehensive approach to care. We have performed:
- More than 172 heart transplants
- More than 67 lung transplants
- More than 25 heart-lung transplants
If your child is referred to us, we will evaluate him or her and meet with your family before your child is placed on the transplant list. Our goal is first to investigate other treatment options that could improve your child's health and quality of life. We explore medical therapies and other types of surgeries that may eliminate the need for transplantation.
Pediatric heart failure, pulmonary hypertension treatments
Among the services available to you and your child before considering transplantation:
- Therapy for mild, moderate and severe heart failure
- Diagnosis and management of primary diseases of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathies), including metabolic evaluation for mitochondrial disorders and inborn errors of metabolism
- Pulmonary vasodilator therapy for pulmonary hypertension, including new agents such as bosentan (Tracleer) and sildenafil (Viagra)
- Diagnostic and interventional cardiac catheterization
- Aggressive anti-inflammatory therapy for myocarditis
- Conventional corrective surgery for structural congenital heart disease
Evaluations and referrals
If pediatric heart transplantation is being considered, please request an evaluation at Children's Hospital as early as possible by calling 1-877-77-HEART or sending us an e-mail at cardiac@email.chop.edu. If you are a physician and would like to refer a patient, please call 215-590-6051 or send an e-mail to Beth Kaufman, MD, Director, Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure Program, Joseph Rossano, MD, Medical Director, Heart Transplant Program, or to the Nurse Practitioner, Karen McCandless.
If pediatric lung or heart/lung transplantation is being considered, please request an evaluation at Children's Hospital as early as possible by calling Tara Chestnut at 267-426-0664 or sending us an e-mail at lungtransplant@email.chop.edu. If you are a physician and would like to refer a patient, please call 215-590-0388 or send an e-mail to Samuel Goldfarb, MD, Medical Director, Lung and Heart/Lung Transplant Programs.
Our transplant team
Meet our organ transplant team:
Surgical Director, Thoracic Organ Transplantation
Medical Director, Heart Transplantation
Medical Director, Lung and Heart/Lung Transplant
Associate Medical Director, Pediatric Lung Transplantation
Medical Director, Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure Program
Medical Director, Pulmonary Hypertension Program
Transplant surgeons
- Stephanie Fuller, MD
- J. William Gaynor, MD
- Kimberly Y. Lin, MD
- Joseph W. Rossano, MD
- Thomas L. Spray, MD
Transplant cardiologists
- Brian Hanna, MDCM, PhD, FAAP, FACC, FRCP (C)
- Beth Kaufman, MD
- Stephen Paridon, MD, FAAP, FACC
- Chitra Ravishankar, MD
- Robert E. Shaddy, MD
Transplant nurse practitioners
Transplant coordinator
Program coordinator
- Stacy Leonard
Pediatric psychologist
Social workers
Physical therapy, exercise physiology, and rehabilitation
- Michael G. McBride, PhD
- David Piccinni, DPT, MPT
Clinical coordinators
- Shelly Beitler, RN
- Michael Donahue, CRNP
Child Life specialists
- Kelly Conlin
- Meredith McDonough, MS, CCLS
Administrative assistant
- Tara Chestnut
Transplant financial counselor
Contact Us
For a second opinion, cardiac referral, or for more information.
267-426-9600
To schedule an outpatient appointment.
215-590-4040
