Seattle Children's Liver Transplant Program
Expertise to help your child achieve the best possible outcome
Our Liver Transplant Program provides compassionate, state-of-the-art care to children who have liver disease. At Seattle Children's, we have been performing liver transplant surgery since 1990.
“Thanks to God because he sent us to the best hospital. We hope that no one has to go there, but if they do, we would say, ‘Do not be afraid because you're in very good hands.’”
– Justino Hurtado
Eugenia and Justino Hurtado's four children were all born with a serious illness that could only be cured with a liver transplant, but the family was terrified of the risks. Seattle Children’s transplant experts helped the Hurtados overcome their fears and changed their lives for the better.
The only pediatric liver transplant program in the Pacific Northwest
Why Choose Our Pediatric Liver Transplant Program
Seattle Children's liver transplant patient outcomes are among the best in the nation.
Our Liver Transplant Services
Access to advanced therapies through research
Transplanting organs in children is a relatively new field that is always changing. At Seattle Children’s, your child will have access to the most current, state-of-the-art liver transplant therapies and clinical trials.
Performing living-donor liver transplants for over 20 years
The liver is an organ that can regenerate - as little as 25% of a liver can grow into a whole liver again. This makes it possible for our surgeons to remove part of a healthy liver from a living person and transplant it into someone whose liver is failing so that both people can go on to have healthy liver function.
The only Portal Hypertension Clinic in the western United States
Portal hypertension is high blood pressure in the portal vein, which brings blood from your child’s intestine to their liver. It happens when something blocks the flow of blood to or through the liver. Our Portal Hypertension Clinic brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts to meet your child’s unique health needs.
Charlotte’s Transplant Journey
Charlotte was born with biliary atresia, a rare liver condition that occurs when a baby’s bile ducts do not form normally. Surgery when she was 2 months old relieved some symptoms, but wasn't a cure. Two years later, her liver began to fail, and she received a transplant at Seattle Children's. Today, Charlotte is home and her family is excited for her future.
They’ve changed our lives and saved Charlotte.
We’ll always be incredibly thankful.
– Janessa, Charlotte’s mom, on the liver transplant care team at
Seattle Children's
Meet Your Liver Transplant Team
Your child’s liver transplant surgeon will be part of a team with some of the best outcomes in the nation, including a 100% one-year survival rate. Waiting for a donor organ can be stressful. The international leaders on Seattle Children’s transplant team will use innovative treatments to improve your child’s quality of life while they are on the waitlist.
Katelyn Michelle Saarela, DO
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Pamela Valentino, MD
Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program; Liver and Intestinal Failure Clinical Center Director
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Andre A S Dick, MD, MPH
Senior Vice President and Surgeon-in-Chief; Surgical Director, Kidney Transplant
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Ryutaro Hirose, MD
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Christine E Lundberg, ARNP
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The prospect of an organ transplant can be frightening and feel overwhelming. We will help your entire family understand the transplant process, develop new skills to cope with your child’s illness and hospital stay.