Illustration of a heart transplant, child, hope, and healing.

A Second Chance at Life: Understanding Pediatric Heart Transplants

Samir D’Costa in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Exploring the journey, challenges, and triumphs of pediatric heart transplantation, offering hope and insights for families and the medical community."

Heart transplantation stands as a beacon of hope for children facing end-stage heart disease. While it's a well-established treatment, the path to transplant, and the procedure itself, is often complex, especially when pediatric donors are scarce. In Korea, the Asan Medical Center has been pioneering efforts in this field, offering a lifeline to young patients with failing hearts.

A retrospective study conducted at Asan Medical Center shed light on the experiences of 37 patients under the age of 18 who underwent heart transplantation between August 1997 and April 2009. This study marks a significant milestone as the first report of pediatric heart transplantation outcomes in Korea, providing valuable insights into the challenges and successes of this intricate procedure.

This article delves into the key findings of the Asan Medical Center study, exploring the diagnoses leading to transplant, the surgical techniques employed, the post-transplant care protocols, and the long-term outcomes for these young recipients. Understanding these aspects is crucial for families, caregivers, and medical professionals involved in pediatric cardiac care.

Why Do Children Need Heart Transplants?

Illustration of a heart transplant, child, hope, and healing.

The Asan Medical Center study revealed that the primary reasons for heart transplantation in children were cardiomyopathy and congenital heart disease. Cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle is diseased, was the leading cause in 78.3% of the patients. Congenital heart defects, present at birth, accounted for the remaining 22.7%.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP), the most common specific diagnosis, affected 62.2% of the children. DCMP weakens and enlarges the heart, impairing its ability to pump blood effectively. For these young patients, transplantation offered a chance to overcome the limitations of their failing hearts.

Cardiomyopathy: Diseases of the heart muscle leading to impaired function.
Congenital Heart Disease: Heart defects present at birth.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCMP): A specific type of cardiomyopathy causing the heart to enlarge and weaken.

The median age of the recipients was 12.5 years, with a range spanning from infancy (3 months) to late adolescence (17 years). This underscores the fact that heart transplantation can be a necessary intervention for children of all ages, highlighting the importance of specialized pediatric cardiac care.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Pediatric Heart Transplantation

The Asan Medical Center's study provides an encouraging outlook for pediatric heart transplantation in Korea. The excellent midterm survival rates reported offer hope to families and inspire further advancements in the field. As medical technology continues to evolve and donor availability potentially increases, the future holds promise for even better outcomes and improved quality of life for children with heart disease. Continued research and collaboration are essential to optimize transplantation protocols and address the unique challenges faced by these young patients, ultimately ensuring a brighter future for children in need of a new heart.

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This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.3346/jkms.2011.26.5.593, Alternate LINK

Title: Heart Transplantation In Pediatric Patients: Twelve-Year Experience Of The Asan Medical Center

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: Journal of Korean Medical Science

Publisher: Korean Academy of Medical Sciences

Authors: Hong Ju Shin, Won Kyoung Jhang, Jeong-Jun Park, Tae Jin Yun, Young Hwee Kim, Jae Joong Kim, Meong-Gun Song, Dong Man Seo

Published: 2011-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What were the main causes of heart transplantation in children, according to the Asan Medical Center study?

The Asan Medical Center study identified two primary causes for pediatric heart transplantation: cardiomyopathy and congenital heart disease. Cardiomyopathy, affecting 78.3% of the patients, refers to diseases of the heart muscle that impair its function. Congenital heart disease, heart defects present at birth, accounted for the remaining 22.7%. Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCMP) was the most common specific diagnosis within cardiomyopathy, where the heart enlarges and weakens, making it difficult to pump blood effectively.

What is Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCMP) and why is it significant in the context of pediatric heart transplantation?

Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCMP) is a specific type of cardiomyopathy where the heart's chambers enlarge, and the heart muscle weakens, reducing its ability to pump blood efficiently. In the Asan Medical Center study, DCMP was the most frequent specific diagnosis leading to heart transplantation in children, affecting 62.2% of the patients. This highlights DCMP's critical role as a major cause of end-stage heart disease in young patients, necessitating heart transplantation to restore heart function.

What insights did the Asan Medical Center study offer regarding pediatric heart transplantation in Korea?

The retrospective study conducted at Asan Medical Center provided the first report of pediatric heart transplantation outcomes in Korea, offering valuable insights. It explored the diagnoses leading to transplant (cardiomyopathy and congenital heart disease), the surgical techniques employed, post-transplant care protocols, and the long-term outcomes for the young recipients. The study's findings contribute to understanding the challenges and successes of the procedure, offering hope and guidance for families, caregivers, and medical professionals involved in pediatric cardiac care. It also provides an encouraging outlook, highlighting the potential for improved outcomes and quality of life for children with heart disease through transplantation.

What is the typical age range for children undergoing heart transplantation, and why is this important?

The median age of the recipients in the Asan Medical Center study was 12.5 years, with a range from 3 months to 17 years. This wide age range underscores the necessity of heart transplantation for children of various ages, including infants and adolescents. It highlights the importance of specialized pediatric cardiac care, emphasizing the need for tailored medical approaches and support for children at different developmental stages facing end-stage heart disease. The study demonstrates that heart transplantation can be a life-saving procedure for young patients, regardless of age.

What are the key challenges and the future prospects of pediatric heart transplantation, as suggested by the Asan Medical Center's work?

The Asan Medical Center study emphasizes several key aspects regarding pediatric heart transplantation. Firstly, the procedure is complex, with challenges including the scarcity of pediatric donors. The study's focus on diagnoses like Cardiomyopathy and Congenital Heart Disease, alongside the detailed examination of surgical techniques and post-transplant care, illustrates the intricacy of the process. The future of pediatric heart transplantation appears promising, especially in Korea, as reported by the study. The reported midterm survival rates provide hope, indicating potential for better outcomes as medical technology advances and donor availability increases. Continued research, collaboration, and optimized protocols are essential to address the unique challenges faced by young patients and to ensure a brighter future for them.