Children's Comprehensive
Kidney Failure Center

The Comprehensive Children’s Kidney Failure Center at the University of Miami/Jackson Children's Hospital is part of a statewide renal program operated under contract with the state's Children’s Medical Services since 1975. Uniquely suited for the needs of renal disease patients under 21 years of age, this secondary and tertiary center was designed to treat children with less than 75 percent renal function.

Chronic Renal Failure

When renal disease strikes a child at any age, from birth to young adulthood, it also impacts a circle of family, friends, and community. The University of Miami is one of three comprehensive centers in Florida (and the only center in South Florida) designated as a treatment center for all children whose renal function falls significantly below normal, approximately 75 percent below normal for the child's age. This amount of renal failure indicates a strong likelihood of progression to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). The center is designed to recognize those patients in need of special services and intervene early with treatments to avoid progression of the disease and treat the metabolic consequences of kidney failure, such as poor growth and intellectual deficits. From an early stage, the Center's team of physicians, nurses, social workers, dieticians, psychologists, and teachers work with the patient and family toward a common goal of sustaining maximum health and preparing for any interventional services necessary for the child's successful treatment.

Pediatric Dialysis

When kidney function falls 10 percent below normal and an immediate kidney transplant is not available, dialysis must be started as a life-sustaining treatment. It is often difficult to accept, but our goal is to make the transition as safe and uneventful as possible. The Pediatric Dialysis Unit at the University of Miami/ Jackson Children's Hospital is one of the finest in the country. It is a recently renovated, state-of-the-art facility with both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis modalities. The hemodialysis facility has six individual stations, including an isolation station providing as many as 35 outpatient treatments, six days per week. Patients are monitored for dialysis adequacy, and monthly multi-disciplinary patient reviews are held in accordance with national guidelines. Through personal care and individualized treatment, our staff is able to provide essential support to young patients and their families.

Transplantation Services

Kidney transplantation is the treatment goal for all children on dialysis. The services of pediatric nephrology and transplantation are interdisciplinary partners in the Comprehensive Children’s Kidney Failure Center. Weekly meetings review all candidates for transplantation and joint clinics for pre and post transplant evaluations. Specially trained nurse liaisons maintain close supervision over patient needs and focus on the complex issues that arise. In recent years, transplantation services have extended to multi-visceral services, including not only kidney, but liver, heart, and other gastro-intestinal organs that frequently require renal consultation.