Improving life through the gift of transplant.
It is extremely challenging to be told your child has an organ that is failing. Fortunately, IU Health Transplant at Riley Children's Health offers comprehensive transplant services for pediatric patients. Specialized care, years of experience and outstanding outcomes are hallmarks of our pediatric transplantation program.
We are part of IU Health Transplant, a nationally recognized organ transplant center with a mission to help patients return to self-sufficient, active lives. IU Health Transplant ranks among the top transplant centers in the U.S. by volume and is the largest, most comprehensive center of its kind in Indiana and the surrounding region.
IU Health Transplant at Riley Children's Health performs the following types of organ transplants:
- Heart. We have nearly three decades of pediatric heart transplant experience.
- Kidney. We are the largest kidney transplant program in Indiana.
- Liver. IU Health was the first healthcare provider in Indiana to perform a liver transplant in 1988 and remains the only liver transplant program in Indiana.
- Pancreas. IU Health is one of only a few transplant programs that has performed simultaneous liver and pancreas transplants for candidates with cystic fibrosis.
- Intestine. We did Indiana’s first isolated pediatric intestine transplant in 2003 and have consistently been doing intestinal transplants every year since.
- Multivisceral. A multivisceral transplant is one in which the intestines are replaced along with the liver, pancreas and, sometimes, the stomach. This is a very complicated procedure for pediatric patients. Our team is one of only a few in the country certified to perform this operation.
Offering living donor kidney transplants in collaboration with the living donor program at IU Health, Riley at IU Health gives pediatric patients access to the significant advantages that come from a living donor transplant, including shorter wait times and a kidney that typically lasts longer.
What Makes Us Different
Our comprehensive approach is what sets us apart from other transplant centers. Your child's transplant team will include dedicated surgeons, doctors, nurse practitioners, nurse coordinators, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, social workers, chaplains, psychiatrists, psychologists, physical and occupational therapists, financial navigators and procurement specialists. The team also includes dedicated Child Life experts. Our support staff works exclusively in organ transplant care, making them experts in their field. Specially trained coordinators and nurses provide compassionate, quality care during all aspects of your child's treatment.
We will keep your family engaged by allowing you to stay in the same room as your child. This helps your entire family become comfortable and familiar with the transplant team.
Conditions & Services
Services Offered
We offer a number of different Transplant services. Below are some, but not all, of the services that we provide. If you have a question about a specific service that is not listed here, please contact our department.
Doctors and
Locations
Doctors
Learn more about the doctors with the Transplant Department at Riley at IU Health.
Transplant Surgery, Pediatric Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery
317.944.1121
Department Forms & Resources
Department Forms & Resources
The Transplant at Riley at IU Health provides the following forms for parents, healthcare providers and personnel. We have also curated relevant resources from other websites and provided links with brief descriptions of the information that is available.
Resources
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Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network
A division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network is the primary federal entity responsible for oversight of the organ and blood stem cell transplant systems in the U.S. They are also responsible for initiatives to increase the level of organ donation in this country.
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United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
UNOS is a private, nonprofit organization that manages the nation's organ transplant system under contract with the federal government.
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Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR)
SRTR is a research organization supporting the transplant community by providing analyses of transplants to improve patient outcomes. To see outcomes for IU Health Transplant at Riley Children’s Health, select organ type and click “search” under the FIND & COMPARE TRANSPLANT PROGRAMS section. Next, search by center name “Indiana University Health” and select “Pediatric” for recipient.
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Donate Life America is committed to promoting organ and tissue donation through its alliance of community-based and national organizations.
Related Departments
Related Departments
We provide multispecialty care for a number of conditions. Below are links to our related departments.
Related Stories
Related Stories
Filling hearts with Christmas cheer
The annual Riley heart transplant Christmas party got its start more than three decades ago, thanks to the efforts of its founding moms.
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Cancer fight led her to become a nurse
For Bridget Balcerak, beating Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a teen at Riley inspired her to return to care for others.
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Health Professionals
For Health Professionals
We work closely with referring physicians who have a patient requiring a transplant, keeping them informed of the progress and treatment of the patient throughout the entire process. Referring physicians may call to refer a patient to IU Health Transplant at Riley Children's Hospital. For a hospital transfer, please contact our 24/7 Transfer Center at 1.877.44RILEY (877.447.4539).
Refer A Patient
Riley at IU Health works with referring physicians in Indiana and beyond. Please call the appropriate number below.
Liver Transplant (Phone): 800.382.4602
Liver Transplant (Fax): 317.968.1497
Kidney Transplant (Phone): 800.382.4602
Kidney Transplant (Fax): 317.968.1499
Intestine/Multivisceral Transplant (Phone): 800.382.4602
Intestine/Multivisceral Transplant (Fax): 317.968.1497
Heart Transplant (Phone): 317.944.9780
Heart Transplant (Fax): 317.944.7800
Research
Our connection with the Indiana University School of Medicine gives our transplant team the unique opportunity to be involved in several research initiatives that improve patient outcomes. Our research currently focuses on:
- Xenotransplantation
- Transplant immunology
- Hepatic malignancies
- Clinical outcomes
Education
In partnership with the IU School of Medicine, Riley at IU Health provides exceptional training opportunities in pediatric surgery and transplant surgery. The abdominal transplantation fellowship trains fellows at IU Health University Hospital and Riley at IU Health. It is one of only a few programs with the necessary volume to train fellows in all organ systems.