Indian-origin urologist in US plays key role in first human bladder transplant
An Indian-origin urologist played a key role as a team of doctors at University of California Health performed the first successful human bladder transplant. Inderbir Gill, who studied medicine in Punjab, was part of the medical breakthrough that will be of help to individuals with bladder dysfunction caused by long-term dialysis.The surgery was successfully completed at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on May 4, in a joint effort by Inderbir Gill, MD, Founding Executive Director of USC Urology, and Nima Nassiri, MD, Urologic Transplant Surgeon and Director of the UCLA Vascularised Composite Bladder Allograft Transplant Program, the varsity said in a statement issued on May 18.advertisement"This surgery is a historic moment in medicine and stands to impact how we manage carefully selected patients with highly symptomatic "terminal" bladders that are no longer functioning," said Dr Gill.HOW WAS THE FIRST BLADDER TRANSPLANT IN HUMAN PERFORMED?
The surgery was done on a 41-year-old patient who had previously lost most of his bladder during a tumour removal process. Both of his kidneys were also subsequently removed due to cancer and end-stage kidney disease, and he had been on dialysis for seven years. Additionally, both of his kidneys were removed due to renal cancer, which developed against the backdrop of pre-existing end-stage kidney disease. As a result, he had been undergoing dialysis for seven years.The complex procedure involved transplanting both a new bladder and a new kidney, which were recovered from a donor. The surgeons first transplanted the kidney and then the bladder. Then they connected the kidney to the new bladder using the technique they had pioneered. The entire medical procedure lasted approximately eight hours.advertisement"The kidney immediately made a large volume of urine, and the patient's kidney function improved immediately," Dr Nassiri said. "There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder," he added."Despite the complexity of the case, everything went according to plan and the surgery was successful," said Dr Gill. "The patient is doing well, and we are satisfied with his clinical progress to date," he added.WHO IS DOCTOR INDERBIR SINGH GILL?Dr Gill began his medical education at Government Medical College in Punjab.The Tribune reported that Gill is an alumnus of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana.In 1989, he moved to the United States to advance his medical training and pursue his career.Dr Gill is the Chairman and Distinguished Professor of the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Department of Urology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He also serves as the Executive Director of the USC Institute of Urology and holds the Shirley and Donald Skinner Chair in Urologic Cancer Surgery.He previously served as Chairman and Professor in the Department of Urology at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was a faculty member for 12 years, from 1997 to 2009.advertisementOn July 2, a team of surgeons led by Inderbir Gill performed Mumbai's first robotic kidney transplant at Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in 2017.HONOURS AND AWARDS FOR GROUNDBREAKING WORKAmong his many accolades, Dr Gill was honoured with the prestigious Dr BC Roy National Award for Eminent Medical Person, presented by the President of India in 2005. He was the first Indian medical practitioner living outside the country to receive the award.The following year, in 2006, he received the St Paul's Medal from the British Urological Association, further recognising his global contributions to the field of urology.In 2022, Dr Gill received the SIU Distinguished Career Award from the Socit Internationale d'Urologie, recognising his outstanding contributions to urology on an international scale. Most recently, in 2024, he was awarded the Spence Medal by the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons (AAGUS), one of the highest honours in the field.His primary academic focus is advanced robotic urologic oncologic surgery for cancers of the kidney, bladder and prostate.
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