This article uses OPTN/SRTR data to review trends in pediatric transplantation over the last decade. In 2003, children younger than 18 made up 3% of the 82,885 candidates for organ transplantation and 7% of the 25,469 organ transplant recipients. Children accounted for 14% of the 6,455 deceased organ donors. Pediatric organ transplant recipients differ from their adult counterparts in several important aspects, including the underlying etiology of organ failure, the complexity of the surgical procedures, the pharmacokinetic properties of common immunosuppressants, the immune response following transplantation, the number and degree of comorbid conditions, and the susceptibility to post-transplant complications, especially infectious diseases. Specialized pediatric organ transplant programs have been developed to address these special problems, The transplant community has reNote on sources: The articles in this report are based on the reference tables in the 2004 OPTN/SRTR Annual Report, which are not included in this publication. Many relevant data appear in the figures and tables included here; other tables from the Annual Report that serve as the basis for this article include the following: Tables 1.4, 1.10, 1.13, 2.1-2.11, 5.1-5. 5, 5.8, 5.9, 5.11, 6.4, 7.4, 8.4, 9.1, 9.3-9.5, 9.7, 9.8, 9.11, 10.1-10.5, 10.7, 10.8, 10.11, 11.1, 11.3-11.5, 11.7, 11.8, 11.11, 12.1-12.9, 12.11, 13.1-13.4, 13.8, 13.11, 15.2 and 15.3. All of these tables may be found online at http://www.ustransplant.org.
Funding: The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR)is funded by contract number 231-00-0116 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), US Department of Health and Human Services. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the US Government. This is a US Government-sponsored work. There are no restrictions on its use. sponded to the particular needs of children and has provided them special consideration in the allocation of deceased donor organs. As a result of these programs and protocols, children are now frequently the most successful recipients of organ transplantation; their outcomes following kidney, liver, and heart transplantation rank among the best. This article demonstrates that substantial improvement is needed in several areas: adolescent outcomes, outcomes following intestine transplants, and waiting list mortality among pediatric heart and lung candidates,