Transplant Center
March 2025 update
Due to current surgical staffing issues, our liver and kidney transplant procedures are temporarily on hold. We are actively recruiting surgeons to resume operations, help drive the expansion of our transplant center, and better serve patients and families now and in the future.
In the meantime, all post-transplant patients continue to receive care through the Kidney and Liver Transplant programs, as well as all other Nephrology and Gastroenterology services, including dialysis.
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.
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.
Our collaborative team approach to care has achieved some of the best transplant outcomes in the nation.
What sets us apart
- Heart transplant: 100% 90-day and 1-year graft survival (SRTR 7/2023)
- Regional leader in number of patients who receive ventricular assist devices (VADs)
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:
- Heart transplant surgeons
- Transplant physicians (specialists in heart, liver 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 heart 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 for the Heart Transplant Program.
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. Learn what to expect if your child needs a heart transplant.
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
Heart Transplant: Alex and Jaymeson’s stories
Alex and Jaymeson (Jay) bonded over a very unique shared experience: They both received heart transplants at Children’s Mercy Kansas City in February 2024 — less than a week apart!
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.
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.