About the Lung Transplant Program
Organ transplantation offers great promise for children with end-stage lung disease. If your child is referred to the Pediatric Lung Transplant Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), we will conduct an evaluation and meet with your family before your child is placed on the transplant list. Our first goal is 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.
We consider lung transplantation for children with end-stage pulmonary (lung) disease when their life expectancy is limited and when no other treatment options are available. A child may need a transplant due to certain conditions, including:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Primary pulmonary hypertension
- Interstitial lung disease
- Bronchiolitis obliterans
- Surfactant protein deficiencies
- Congenital malformation with inadequate lung development
- Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease
- Heart disease or heart defects (may require a heart-lung transplant)
Whether your child would benefit from lung transplantation is a complex issue that must be carefully and individually evaluated. If you are considering a lung or heart/lung transplant evaluation, it is best to start the process as early as possible, before the need for a transplant becomes an emergency.
Caring for children before, during and after lung transplant
Children who undergo a lung transplant will need a lifetime of medication and close follow-up care by a lung transplant team. They need to take immunosuppression medications for the rest of their life to prevent the body from recognizing the new lung as foreign and attacking it.
The Pediatric Lung Transplant Program's partnership with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania ensures patients have excellent care throughout childhood and adolescence, then a seamless transition to an equally strong adult program.
We have developed a guide for patients and families to learn about important topics including the transplant evaluation process, waiting for a transplant, transplant surgery, post-transplant care, and life after transplant.
Our lung transplant team
Under the leadership of Katsuhide Maeda, MD, PhD, Surgical Director of Thoracic Organ Transplant, and Maureen Josephson, DO, Medical Director, Lung and Heart/Lung Transplantation, our program is known both for its excellence and for its comprehensive approach to care. We have performed more than 70 lung transplants and our outcomes are among the best in the world.
Research
CHOP’s Lung Transplant Program is dedicated to researching advanced lung diseases and supplying the best treatment and care for pediatric lung transplant patients. Our program has earned a reputation of clinical excellence and advanced research, and funding continues to grow.