Heart Transplant
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Complex heart conditions can feel overwhelming. Even more so when it’s your kid. As a parent, you want a team you can count on.
We know kids who need new hearts have different physical and emotional needs than adults. At UVA Health Children's, we have a team of experts ready to care for your child.
Pediatric Heart Transplant Experience
We performed our first pediatric heart transplant in 1991. Since 2013, we’ve provided new hearts to more than 53 children.
We’re the only hospital in the state that performs childhood heart transplants. We provide pre- and post-transplant care in Charlottesville, Norfolk, and Winchester.
Expert Heart Center
Our Children’s Heart Center offers:
- The most comprehensive congenital heart center in Virginia
- The largest pediatric pulmonary hypertension clinic in Virginia
- A genetics clinic that tests for inherited heart or vascular disease risks
- One of the most experienced programs in the region for kids with end-stage heart disease
Family-Centered Approach
We promise to:
- Help you and your child understand how and why we're doing a test or procedure
- Explain the follow-up process
- Collaborate with your referring physician
- Work with your child's school if needed
- Involve healthcare providers in your community
Dedicated Transplant Team
If your child has a heart transplant at UVA Health Children's, you can count on a care team that includes:
- Pediatric heart transplant surgeons
- Pediatric cardiologists
- Pediatric anesthesiologists
- Pediatric intensivists (doctors who specialize in the care of patients in intensive care)
- Social workers
- Nurse practitioners
- Child life specialists
- Psychologists
- Nutritionists
Heart Care That Grows with Your Child
- You will have instant access to specialty services throughout UVA Health Children's.
- As your child grows into a young adult, they'll move seamlessly from UVA Health Children's to UVA Health's adult care programs, easing the stress and uncertainty of switching facilities and finding a new doctor.
- For families within a 25-mile radius of UVA Health Children's, we offer a specialized home care program for children dealing with complex medical issues.
Transferring to UVA Health Children's for More Advanced Care
At 10 days old, Violet had her first heart surgery in Norfolk. When it was time for her second surgery, she was transferred to UVA Health Children's. Hear what her parents and doctors are saying now after her transplant.
Jennifer Smith: Violet has a fiery personality. She is very spirited and adventurous. She’s very strong willed. That personality as suited her very well thus far in life, you know, she has been through a lot, gotten through many obstacles. Some very scary near death experiences. But she has come out with a fighting spirit.
Jason Smith: She can be a bit of a handful. She definitely has a zest for life. I know she doesn’t know what all she went through but it makes me think at some level she does know.
Jennifer Smith: When Violet was born she was not getting enough blood out of her heart into her lungs for oxygenation. So at 10 days old she had her first open heart surgery. It was coming time for her next heart surgery, it was going to be a full repair. We got admitted to CHKD and it was decided that we should be transferred up to UVA because they would be more able to handle any kind of complication that she might have.
Jennifer Smith: She did have some complications and we did need to be up at UVA and that ended up being a blessing in disguise.
Jason Smith: Transferring to a new hospital was very, very scary. Nobody at UVA knew us. Seeing Jenn and Violet leave in that ambulance to go up to UVA was probably the next to hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Jennifer Smith: When we arrived into the PICU it was just like a welcome wagon of open arms. Violet became the first BIVAD patient at UVA. But we had full confidence in Dr. Roeser knowing he had done it before.
Mark Roeser, MD: Yeah, the team for Violet is basically an Army. CHKD and us kind of reached out to each other, um they were in need of a little more specialized care. We are the first program in Virginia to do successful Berlin Hearts. We currently have a 100% survival for those.
Jay Gangemi, MD: You know, at the time of the original operation okay, when we did the repair it was just a matter of her heart function was just not adequate. That’s when the wheels start spinning as far as wanting to list for heart transplant.
Jennifer Smith: I think Violet was probably at UVA for about a month. It was an incredibly fast stay. Her transplant happened very quickly. She was only on the list for 8 days.
Jay Gangemi: Violet represents what our program is capable of. We push the limits on what we can do and what we thought we could do.
Jennifer Smith: We feel very confident in the transplant team at UVA. If we ever have any questions or problem that might arise we always feel confident in calling them 24/7.
Thomas L'Ecuyer, MD: Medically she started out incredibly complicated and incredibly time and energy consuming. She has become an easy child to care for. Her family is wonderful and doing their part and that's all one can ask. And they are wonderful partners in helping to take care of this child.
Jason Smith: What might have been unthinkable 30 years ago, is normal and that is kids that have heart transplants have normal lives.
Jennifer Smith: The level of care that we received at UVA was fantastic. The way the team and all the cardiologists and the nurses and especially the PICU team, the way they just rallied around us; I feel like they are part of our family now.
Transplant
Nationally Ranked Cardiology Program
We’re nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report in their 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals guide for pediatric cardiology and heart surgery. We're here to deliver world-class care for your kids, with expert care and a family-centered approach that helps you understand every aspect of care.