Pioneering Procedure Groundbreaking Bladder Transplant Offers Renewed Life
In a historic medical breakthrough, US surgeons performed the world’s first successful human bladder transplant on May 4, 2025. The complex eight-hour surgery involved transplanting both a kidney and bladder from a donor into a patient who had lost these organs due to cancer and kidney disease.
Dr. Nima Nassiri, a urologist from the University of California, Los Angeles, reported promising results: “The transplanted kidney started producing urine right away, kidney function improved instantly, and the patient didn’t need dialysis after surgery. The urine drained naturally into the new bladder.”
Not long after the operation, the patient was able to urinate normally — for the first time in seven years.
With millions worldwide living with bladder dysfunction, this milestone could offer life-changing hope for many in the future.
“This surgery marks a historic milestone in medicine and could change how we treat patients with severely damaged bladders that no longer function,” says Dr. Inderbir Gill, a urologist from the University of Southern California.
He adds: “Organ transplants have long been life-saving solutions for many conditions — and now, the bladder can officially be included in that list.”
Until recently, the only option for people with failing bladders was to use a section of the intestine to replace or support the bladder — a method that leads to complications in about 80% of cases, such as digestive problems or even kidney damage, due to differences in the gut and urinary microbiomes.
Bladder transplants, however, come with their own challenges — mainly because the organ is surrounded by a complex network of blood vessels deep inside the abdomen, making the procedure extremely delicate and technically demanding.
The medical team had been preparing for this groundbreaking surgery for over four years , including practicing the delicate procedure on ventilated deceased donors using robotic assistance.
They eventually applied their newly developed techniques to a 41-year-old patient, Oscar Larrainzar — a husband and father of four — who had been on dialysis for seven years after losing most of his bladder and both kidneys to disease. The small amount of bladder tissue he had left could hold only about 30 milliliters of fluid, far below the average capacity of 700 milliliters.
To make the transplant more manageable, surgeons connected some of the blood vessels outside the body before implanting the donor organs.
“Despite the complexity, everything went as planned,” said Dr. Inderbir Gill. “The patient is recovering well, and we’re encouraged by his progress so far.”
The surgical team plans to perform three more bladder transplants as part of their ongoing clinical trial. Candidates must already be on immunosuppressive therapy or in need of it, as these drugs — while necessary to prevent rejection — carry significant risks.
If the upcoming cases are successful, a much larger trial will follow to explore this life-changing procedure further.