DMCH Ludhiana alumnus performs world’s first human bladder transplant

In a historic feat, the world’s first human bladder transplant was performed by surgeons from Keck Medicine of USC and UCLA Health, bringing pride to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, as Dr Inderbir Gill, one of the doctors behind this transplant, is an alumnus of the college. Inderbir Singh Gill of the University of Southern California (USC) and Nima Nassiri of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), completed the surgery at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

“This surgery is a historic moment in medicine and 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,” said Dr Gill. The patient who underwent the bladder transplant had been on dialysis for 7 years after having both kidneys removed due to renal cancer and pre-existing end-stage kidney disease. The patient had also lost most of his bladder during a tumor removal, leaving the remainder too small and compromised to function properly.

Nassiri and Gill collaborated for several years at Keck School to develop the new surgical technique, design a clinical trial, and secure the necessary regulatory approvals. To address these deficits, Gill and Nassiri 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.

Nassiri added, “The kidney immediately produced a large volume of urine, and the patient’s kidney function improved right away. There was no need for any dialysis after surgery, and the urine drained properly into the new bladder.”

DMCH Principal Dr Gurpreet Wander said, “This is a proud moment for the medical fraternity and especially for DMCH, as this is the place where Dr. Gill received his medical education. We are proud of him.”