Surgeons at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles have successfully completed the world’s first human bladder transplant, marking a groundbreaking advancement in treatment for severe bladder conditions, according to hospital officials. The operation took place on May 4 and involved 41-year-old Oscar Larrainzar, a father of four who previously lost much of his bladder to cancer. Following additional complications, including kidney removal due to cancer and end-stage kidney disease, Larrainzar had been on dialysis for seven years. During the eight-hour procedure, he received both a new bladder and kidney from an organ donor. Surgeons first transplanted the kidney, then the bladder, and connected the two using a technique they developed. According to UCLA, the transplant showed positive results almost immediately. Dr. Nima Nassiri, one of the surgeons on the team, called the outcome a major success. “The kidney immediately made a large volume of urine, and the patient’s kidney function improved immediately,” Nassiri said. “There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder.” Nassiri and fellow surgeon Inderbir Gill said full bladder transplants had not been performed previously due to the complex vascular structure of the pelvis, making it a technically difficult procedure. “This first attempt at bladder transplantation has been over four years in the making,” Nassiri said. In the past, patients requiring bladder reconstruction typically underwent procedures that used a section of the intestine to create a new bladder or had a stoma bag fitted to collect urine. However, Dr. Nima Nassiri noted that these methods carried various short- and long-term risks, which doctors now hope to avoid through complete bladder transplantation.