Evaluation and post-transplant management of children after multi-organ-with-kidney transplantation

Abstract

Multi-organ transplantation involves the transplant of two or more organs from a single donor into a single recipient; in most cases, one of these organs is a kidney. Multi-organ transplantation is uncommon in pediatric transplantation but can be life-saving or significantly life-improving for children with rare diseases, including primary heart, liver, pancreas, or intestinal failure with secondary kidney failure, metabolic disorders, and genetic conditions causing multi-organ dysfunction. This manuscript reviews the current state of pediatric multi-organ transplantation that includes a kidney, with a focus on indications, evaluation, and key differences in management compared to kidney-alone transplantation. Guidelines and consensus statements for pediatric multi-organ transplantation are nonexistent; this review condenses reported statistics and peer-reviewed expert opinion while highlighting areas in need of further research.

Keywords: Allocation; Heart-kidney transplantation; Kidney-pancreas transplantation; Liver-kidney transplantation; Multi-organ transplantation; Pediatric.