Latest news with #bladdertransplant
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 Guardian
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Surgeons in California perform first ever successful bladder transplant
Surgeons in California have performed the first ever successful bladder transplant, aiding a patient who previously had his bladder and both kidneys removed as a result of cancer treatment and end-stage kidney disease. The treatment allowed the patient, 41-year-old father of four Oscar Larrainzar, to go off dialysis – although the surgery comes with considerable short- and long-term risks and unknowns. The bladder transplant was done by two surgeons who worked for years to develop the technique, which was used to transplant one kidney and a bladder recovered from a human donor. '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 Inderbir Gill, the executive director of the University of Southern California Institute of Urology, and one of two surgeons who worked on the case, according to a press release. 'Transplantation is a life-saving and life-enhancing treatment option for many conditions affecting major organs, and now the bladder can be added to the list.' Gill performed the surgery with Dr Nima Nassiri of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Institute of Urgology. 'This first attempt at bladder transplantation has been over four years in the making,' Nassiri said, in a statement. 'For the appropriately selected patient, it is exciting to be able to offer a new potential option.' Patients who have their bladder removed most often have a portion of intestine repurposed to pass urine, often resulting in a host of new complications, including infections and digestive issues. Those complications have led doctors around the world to seek bladder transplant techniques for years. The transplant performed in early May has so far succeeded, and doctors said they are 'satisfied' with Larrainzar's recovery, though many unknowns remain. For instance, how Larrainzar's new bladder will function over time and how long he will need to be on immune suppression medication to prevent rejection of the organ. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The doctors plan to perform more bladder transplants as part of a clinical trial at UCLA Health, with the goal of better understanding potential complications and helping patients who suffer debilitating bladder conditions.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
World-first bladder transplant a ‘historic' success four years in the making
Surgeons have performed the world's first-ever human bladder transplant – calling it a 'historic' operation that has the potential to change the lives of millions patients with bladder diseases. For the first bladder transplant patient Oscar Larrainzar, after seven years on dialysis with no kidneys and a barely functioning bladder, the procedure was a success - with no dialysis needed post-op. 'My hope is to have a better life,' Mr Larrainzar said. 'I'm still 42 and I have kids, I would like to see them grow so as much as I can have a better life, normal life, in the best possible way, that's what I'm hoping for.' In a joint effort between Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health, surgeons performed the groundbreaking surgery on May 4, and the patient is now recovering well, the experts said. Dr Inderbir Gill, the founding executive director of USC Urology, said: '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. '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.' Dr Gill worked with UCLA urologic transplant surgeon Nima Nassiri for years to develop the new and complex surgical technique, which involved transplanting a kidney, followed by a bladder, into the patient. The whole procedure lasted eight hours, the experts said. 'This first attempt at bladder transplantation has been over four years in the making,' Nassiri said. 'For the appropriately selected patient, it is exciting to be able to offer a new potential option.' Mr Larrainzar had been on dialysis for seven years after losing most of his bladder when a tumour was removed. Both of his kidneys had also been removed due to renal cancer. Dr Nassiri said following the surgery, Mr Larrainzar's kidney immediately began producing urine. 'There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder,' he said. Dr Gill said, despite the complexity of the case, everything went according to plan. 'The patient is doing well, and we are satisfied with his clinical progress to date,' he said. Millions of people around the world live with a degree of bladder disease or dysfunction, the urologists said, and current treatment for severe so-called terminal cases in which their bladders can stop functioning can involve creating a new bladder with part of the patient's intestine. Dr Nassiri said while those surgeries can help, they also come with short and long-term risks that can have ongoing effects on the patients' health. 'A bladder transplant, on the other hand, results in a more normal urinary reservoir, and may circumvent some short- and long-term issues associated with using the intestine,' he said. The experts acknowledged that because it is a first-of-its-kind procedure, there are many unknowns, including how well the bladder will function over time. 'Despite the unknowns, our goal is to understand if bladder transplantation can help patients with severely compromised bladders lead healthier lives,' Dr Gill said. The surgery was performed as part of a UCLA clinical trial, and the urologists hope to perform more of the pioneering surgeries in the near future.
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
