Question:

Can a child receive a heart transplant from an adult?

Hi, I was wondering if it would be possible to know if a child age 7 would be able to accept a heart from an adult or teen donor? Or if they can only accept heart transplants from another child donor. Many thanks.

Submitted by Hannah from Australia on 03/26/2014

Answer:
by Hari R. Mallidi, MD

The decision is based on size. Often children are too small to accept adult or teen organs. If the child is large for his/her age and the donor is small, it is possible.