Overview

• A 41-year-old patient received the world’s first successful human bladder transplant alongside a kidney transplant at UCLA on May 4, 2025.
• The operation restored normal urinary function and eliminated the patient’s need for dialysis for the first time in seven years.
• The surgical team spent four years preparing for the complex eight-hour procedure, practicing on cadavers and robotic simulations.
• Bladder transplantation faces challenges due to the organ’s intricate vascular and neural anatomy and the risks of lifelong immunosuppression.
• The team plans to validate the procedure with a clinical trial involving four additional patients, though experts predict it will remain limited to highly select cases.