US surgeons achieve world’s first human bladder transplant

Surgeons in Los Angeles have performed the world’s first successful human bladder transplant, marking a major breakthrough in organ transplant medicine.

The eight-hour procedure took place at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on May 4.

It involved transplanting both a kidney and a bladder into 41-year-old Oscar Larrainzar, a father of four.

Larrainzar had previously lost both kidneys to cancer and undergone partial bladder removal.

He had been on dialysis for seven years before receiving this dual-organ transplant from a single deceased donor.

The UCLA statement read, “The surgeons first transplanted the kidney, followed by the bladder; they then connected the kidney to the new bladder using the technique they had pioneered.”

Dr Nima Nassiri, one of the surgeons on the team, said the kidney began working immediately.

“The kidney immediately made a large volume of urine, and the patient’s kidney function improved immediately.

“There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder,” Nassiri said.

He emphasised the significance of the milestone. “This first attempt at bladder transplantation has been over four years in the making,” he said.

Dr Inderbir Gill, another surgeon involved, explained why previous attempts had failed. He said the dense network of blood vessels in the pelvis made bladder transplants extremely difficult.

Until now, bladder reconstruction has involved using intestinal tissue or stoma bags to collect urine—methods that often lead to complications.

With this success, UCLA’s team has opened the door to safer, more functional bladder replacements, offering new hope for patients with severe bladder disease.

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