The Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health announced their surgeons have accomplished the first bladder transplant in a human patient.
Inderbir Gill, MD and Nima Nassiri, MD collaborated to “develop the new surgical technique, design a clinical trial and secure the necessary regulatory approvals.”
The surgery took place on May 4, 2025. According to a release, the patient received both a kidney and bladder transplant. He “had been dialysis-dependent for seven years” and his bladder was “too small and compromised to function appropriately” due to losing most of it in surgery. Additionally, “both of his kidneys were subsequently removed due to renal cancer.”
Both Drs. Gill and Nassiri reported the surgery was successful and they are happy with the patient’s progress. Notably, the patient instantly produced urine “for the first time in seven years” and was able “to immediately stop dialysis” post-transplant.
