Latest news with #OscarLarrainzar
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Groundbreaking transplant gives recipient hope of a ‘normal life'
Surgeons at Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health have performed the world's first bladder transplant. The recipient, Oscar Larrainzar, 42, had been on dialysis for seven years and lost most of his bladder to cancer. He says he now hopes he can live a 'normal life' and spend time with his children. The complex eight-hour surgery involved transplanting a kidney, followed by the bladder. The transplanted kidney immediately began producing urine, eliminating the need for dialysis post-surgery. The groundbreaking procedure offers a potential alternative to reconstructive bladder surgery, which carries significant risks.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
US surgeons perform world's first bladder transplant
Surgeons at a hospital in Los Angeles, California have successfully performed the world's first human bladder transplant, hospital officials said. The surgery, performed May 4 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre, is a promising development for other patients suffering from serious bladder disorders. The recipient of the innovative procedure was Oscar Larrainzar, 41, a father of four who had a large portion of his bladder removed due to cancer several years ago, the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement Sunday. Larrainzar later had both of his kidneys removed due to cancer and end-stage kidney disease and was on dialysis for seven years. He received both a bladder and a kidney from an organ donor and had them successfully transplanted in an eight-hour operation. "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," the UCLA statement said. Dr. Nima Nassiri, one of the surgeons involved in the historic transplant, said the procedure yielded positive results almost instantaneously. "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. Previously, patients in need of bladder reconstruction could have one artificially created using a part of the intestines or have a stoma bag inserted to collect urine. Those techniques had several short-term and long-term risks that doctors hope will be circumvented with the full bladder transplant, Nassiri said.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
World's first bladder transplant marks ‘historic moment' as man, 41, able to pee again for first time in 7 years
SURGEONS have performed the first-ever human bladder transplant - a game-changing procedure with the potential to help thousands living with deadly organ failure. The first person to undergo the operation is 41-year-old Oscar Larrainzar, a father of four who had previously lost most of his bladder during a tumour removal process. 3 The remainder of his bladder was too small to work and both his kidneys were subsequently removed due to cancer and end-stage kidney disease. He'd been on dialysis for seven years. The complex procedure carried out by surgeons from UCLA Health and Keck Medicine of USC involved the transplantation of both a new bladder and a new kidney, recovered from a donor, and lasted approximately eight hours long. UCLA urologic transplant surgeon Dr Nima Nassiri and Dr Inderbir Gill, assisted by a surgical team, said the results were quickly evident. '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.' 'Despite the complexity of the case,' Gill said, 'everything went according to plan and the surgery was successful. "The patient is doing well, and we are satisfied with his clinical progress to date.' It's not known how well the transplanted bladder will function over time and how much immunosuppression will be needed to prevent rejection of the transplanted organs. But to date, Larrainzer has been stable. I haven't peed in SIX YEARS and never will again - I live in constant agony and it could kill me '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 Gill, who is also a distinguished professor and chair of urology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. 'Transplantation is a lifesaving and life-enhancing treatment option for many conditions affecting major organs, and now the bladder can be added to the list.' Bladder transplants haven't been carried out previously because of the complicated vascular structure of the pelvic area and the technical complexity of the procedure. Current treatments include the replacement or augmentation of the urinary reservoir - a procedure that uses part of a patient's intestine to create a "new" bladder or a pathway for urine to exit the body. While these surgeries can be effective, they come with many short-and long-term risks that compromise a patient's health, such as internal bleeding, bacterial infection and digestive issues. 'A bladder transplant, on the other hand,' Nassiri said, 'results in a more normal urinary reservoir and may circumvent some short- and long-term issues associated with using the intestine.' Organ transplants currently available Organ transplants, which replace failing or damaged organs with healthy ones from donors, are now available for a variety of organs. They've become possible due to advancements in surgery, medicine (including immunosuppressant drugs), and a better understanding of the donor process. Available organs include: Kidneys: The most commonly transplanted organ, helping patients with end-stage kidney disease. Liver: Treats various liver diseases, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Heart: Addresses heart failure and other heart conditions. Lungs: Treats conditions like cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and other lung diseases. Pancreas: Transplants are used to treat diabetes and some pancreatic cancers. Intestine: Transplants are performed for patients with severe gastrointestinal disorders. 3
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
World's first bladder transplant hailed as 'groundbreaking moment in medical history' - op gives hope to cancer patients
Surgeons in the US have performed a 'miracle' bladder transplant for the first time — giving hope to thousands of patients living with deadly organ failure. The first ever patient to undergo the groundbreaking operation is Oscar Larrainzar, a 41 year-old from Los Angeles with a rare form of cancer who lost nearly all function of his bladder. Now, following the successful procedure, he is not only able to use the toilet independently again, but doctors said the surgery also saved his life. Doctors have hailed the procedure a 'groundbreaking moment in medical history' and 'the realisation of a dream'. Dr Inderbir Gill, the urologist who performed the transplant, said: 'There is no question: A potential door has been opened for these people that did not exist earlier. 'Transplantation is a lifesaving and life-enhancing treatment option for many conditions affecting major organs, and now the bladder can be added to the list,' he told the New York Times. Following treatment for tracheal adenocarcinoma, a rare type of bladder cancer, and a surgery to remove the tumour four years ago, Mr Larrainzar had 'been left without much of a bladder at all.' A normal bladder can hold more than 300 cubic centimeters of fluid. But Mr Larrainzar's could hold 30, according to his medical team. The patient had also been dialysis-dependent for seven years after both of his kidneys were subsequently removed as part of his cancer treatment. To address these deficits doctors performed a combined kidney and bladder transplant, allowing the patient to immediately stop dialysis and produce urine for the first time in seven years. First the kidney, then the bladder, were transplanted. The new kidney was then connected to the new bladder. The entire procedure took approximately eight hours. 'The kidney immediately made a large volume of urine, and the patient's kidney function improved immediately,' Dr Nassiri, who was part of the team of surgeons who performed the procedure, added. 'There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder.' 'Despite the complexity of the case, everything went according to plan and the surgery was successful,' said Dr Gill, who is chairman of the urology department at University of Southern California. 'The patient is doing well, and we are satisfied with his clinical progress to date.' 'Of course, this is very, very early. Let's see how everything goes,' Dr Gill cautioned. 'But it's the first time he has been able to pee in seven years. For all of us, this is huge.' Typically, rather than a transplant, patients with a failing bladder are fitted with what's known as a neobladder—a bag that collects the urine outside the body. Some patients will have their intestine repurposed by surgeons to enable the organ to pass urine. Experts say that patients suffer complications up to 80 per cent of the time when the intestine is used to replace the bladder, which Mr Larrainzar had been living with for four years. They say it can lead to digestive issues, kidney failure and cause deadly bacteria to spread in the body. 'While these surgeries can be effective, they come with many short-and long-term risks that compromise a patient's health such as recurrent infections, compromised kidney function and digestive issues,' said Dr Gill. 'A bladder transplant, on the other hand, delivers a more 'normal' urinary reservoir and may circumvent some of the challenges associated with using the intestine,' said Dr Nassiri. The doctors plan to perform bladder transplants in four more patients as part of a clinical trial to get a sense of outcomes like bladder capacity before pursuing a larger trial to expand its use. The biggest risks of organ transplant are the body's potential rejection of the organ and side-effects caused by the immunosuppressive drugs given to prevent organ rejection. Dr Gill added that the best current candidates are those who've coped with an organ transplant previously, or those who need a combined kidney and bladder transplant.
