Pediatric Heart Transplant Program

Pediatric heart transplants are among the most complicated procedures and patients require a lifetime of care. A heart transplant is recommended for children who have serious heart dysfunction and cannot be managed with medications or other surgeries. This can affect children from only a few days old into adulthood, and the program can support the needs of all patients.

In Arizona, 10 to 20 children per year are candidates for heart transplantations. If transplantation is appropriate, children can wait weeks, others can wait years for a suitable donor organ to become available.

The Program

St. Joseph’s transplant program is unique to Arizona because it is focused on pediatric heart failure and transplantation. In November of 2009, St. Joseph’s received approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the non-profit organization that coordinates transplant activity in the United States. St. Joseph’s expects to perform approximately five heart transplants per year, making it a medium-sized program when compared to the United State’s other major pediatric heart transplant centers.

St. Joseph’s performed the Valley’s first pediatric heart transplant in April of 2010 and the six-month-old boy was ready to go home just in time for Mother’s Day.

The Team

Dr. Nigro and St. Joseph’s heart-transplant team ― medical director Stephen Pophal, MD, and transplant cardiologists Edward Rhee, MD, Robert Puntel, MD, and Susan Park, PNP ― have extensive experience at national transplant centers in the United States.

Contact Us

For more information, please call 602-406-8800.