Lung Transplant Program
Evaluation Process

Evaluation of a child for transplant is an important but often challenging part of the lung transplant process. We understand that you feel urgency to arrange evaluations quickly, the process can often require extensive preparation. Our pediatric lung transplant coordinators will work with you and your family to lead your child through the evaluation process as smoothly as possible.

Before the evaluation

Your transplant coordinator and team will work closely with you to collect key information including:

A comprehensive summary of your child's clinical records, including representative radiographic studies and recent hospital discharges
A family evaluation report from a social worker
Insurance information (insurance approval is mandatory before arranging an evaluation)

What to Expect

Blood tests Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) Physical Therapy evaluation and 6 Minute Walk Test Chest X-Ray, and/or Chest CT Echocardiogram Multidisciplinary team consults Surgical consultation

Blood tests Physical Therapy evaluation and 6 Minute Walk Test Echocardiogram Surgical consultation Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) Chest X-Ray, and/or Chest CT Multidisciplinary team consults

Meet your transplant team

During the evaluation period, you’ll also have medical consultations with your:

Transplant surgeon
Transplant nurse
Pulmonologist/ Advanced Practice Providers
Dietitian
Social worker
Child life specialist
Psychologist
Physical therapist
Other medical specialists such as an immunologist, transplant infectious disease

Waiting for donor lungs

Once your child completes all the necessary consultations and tests and the transplant is approved, their name will be added to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) list. The waiting period can take days, weeks or even years. If you and your family live more than one hour by car from Houston, we will ask you to relocate to the Houston area until transplant. We will require that you have a working phone so our transplant coordinator is able to reach you at any time when donor lungs become available, and you must be able to reach the hospital within 1 hours of that time.