Partial Heart Transplant

Yes, there are different types of partial heart transplants and living root replacements (a surgical procedure used to treat certain heart conditions, particularly those involving the aortic root—the section of the aorta that connects to the heart and contains the aortic valve), each tailored to the patient’s specific anatomy and condition. Partial transplants may involve any of your child’s heart valves, including the pulmonary valve, mitral valve or aortic valve, as well as associated heart vessels such as the pulmonary artery or aorta.

Your child may be considered for a partial heart transplant if they were born with a heart valve problem that can’t be fixed and would do better with a living valve that can grow as they grow. This type of surgery is especially helpful for babies and young children because regular artificial valves don’t grow with the child and often need to be replaced with more surgeries later on.

Evaluation Criteria

Your child may be evaluated for a partial heart transplant if:

• They need valve replacement and are not candidates for repair
• Their condition is not manageable with conventional surgical or medical therapies
• They are medically stable enough to undergo surgery and immunosuppressive therapy
• The transplant team determines that a living valve would offer better long-term outcomes than mechanical or donor-derived options

Conditions include:

• Truncus arteriosus
• Tetralogy of Fallot
• Valve stenosis or regurgitation
• Complex congenital valve defects
• Single ventricle physiology with valve dysfunction

Any child undergoing evaluation for heart valve replacement may also be considered for a partial heart transplant or living root replacement. A thorough medical evaluation by Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery and Transplant teams is necessary to determine candidacy.

Common candidate criteria:

• Severe valve disease (aortic, pulmonary, mitral or tricuspid) that cannot be repaired
• Previous valve replacement that is failing or causing complications
• Congenital heart conditions such as truncus arteriosus or Tetralogy of Fallot
• Infants and children under age 2, especially those who are not candidates for a full heart transplant
• Medically stable enough to undergo surgery and immunosuppressive therapy

A partial heart transplant is a surgery where healthy valves and blood vessels from a donated heart are placed into your child’s heart. The ventricles (pumping chambers) of your child’s heart are kept as they are.

Living heart valves—used in partial heart transplants—offer major advantages over artificial or mechanical valves, especially for children:

• They grow with the child, reducing the need for repeated open-heart surgeries
• They require little or no anticoagulation, avoiding the risks and lifestyle restrictions of lifelong blood thinners
• They resist complications like hardening or buildup, which are common in artificial valves and can lead to early failure

These benefits make living valves a more natural, long-term solution for pediatric patients with congenital heart defects.

A partial heart transplant offers several benefits for children with severe heart valve disease:

• The living valve grows with the child, reducing the need for future surgeries
• It often means fewer reoperations compared to artificial valve replacements
• It avoids the need for lifelong blood thinners, improving the quality of life
• Living tissue also lowers the risk of complications like hardening, buildup and clotting, which are more common with mechanical or bioprosthetic valves

This approach provides a more natural, long-term solution for pediatric patients needing heart valve repair or replacement.

While a partial heart transplant offers promising benefits, it also comes with risks:

• Surgical complications can occur, as with any major heart procedure
• There is a risk of rejection, where the recipient’s immune system attacks the transplanted valve tissue
• Valve dysfunction may develop over time, potentially requiring future intervention

To prevent rejection, your child will need to take immunosuppressant medications, which help the body accept the donor tissue. The length of time your child will be on these medications, as well as the dosage, will be carefully reviewed with your family during the transplant evaluation process.

Yes. Long-term follow-up is important to make sure the new valve is working well and to watch for any signs that the body might not accept it.

Follow-up care includes:

• Regular echocardiograms to assess valve growth and function
• Frequent blood draws to monitor immunosuppressant medication levels
• Medication adjustments to balance effectiveness and minimize side effects
• Cardiac rehabilitation to support recovery and heart health
• Lifelong surveillance to detect complications early

To closely monitor for rejection, families are typically advised to stay in the local area for 3–6 months after surgery. This allows the care team to respond quickly to any early signs of immune response or valve dysfunction.

Support includes:

• A team of experts—including heart doctors, surgeons, nurses and transplant specialists—who work together to plan and manage your child’s care
• Education and guidance for families to help you understand the surgery, recovery and long-term care
• Emotional and practical support from social workers and psychologists, including help with stress, housing and financial needs

This whole-person approach makes sure both your child and your family are cared for—medically, emotionally, and in everyday life—before, during and after the transplant.