史上最强换脸术让消防员重生

Volunteer firefighter Patrick Hardison, a 41-year-old resident of Senatobia, Mississippi, suffered extensive facial burns after responding to a residential fire in 2001 -- and his life has never been the same.

2001年，美国密西西比州塞纳托比亚41岁的志愿消防员哈迪森在居民区救火时，脸部被大面积烧伤——从此他的生活彻底改变了。

He lost his eyelids, ears, lips, most of his nose and all facial hair in the accident. Ever since, Hardison would wear a basketball cap, sunglasses, and prosthetic ears to cover his wounds while in public. But now, he has a new face.

在那次大火中，他失去了眼睑、耳朵、嘴唇、几乎整个鼻子以及所有面部毛发。从那以后，哈迪森外出时会戴上篮球帽、墨镜和假耳朵来遮盖他的伤疤。但现在，他有了一张全新的脸。

Hardison underwent a face transplant surgery at New York University's Langone Medical Center in August, receiving a new face, scalp, ears, chin, cheeks, nose, eyelids, and the eye muscles that control blinking. Now that he is successfully recovering, the procedure is being called the most extensive face transplant to date, and the first in New York.

今年8月，哈迪森在纽约大学朗格尼医学中心接受了面部移植手术，包括新的面皮、头皮、耳朵、下巴、脸颊、鼻子、眼睑和控制眨眼动作的肌肉。现在，他恢复的很顺利，这次手术被称为史上最大面积的脸部移植手术，也是纽约的第一例。

The hospital announced the surgery in a press conference on Monday.

医院在周一举行的资讯发布会上透露了手术情况。

Enabling Hardison to open and close his eyelids was the surgery's primary purpose, said Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, a plastic surgeon at the center who led the 26-hour procedure. It's the first time that doctors have transplanted a patient's eyelids.

为哈迪森进行了26个小时手术的外科整形医生罗德里格斯说，让哈迪森能睁眼和闭眼是这次手术的主要目的。医生移植病人的眼睑，这是第一次。

"We often think how one could live with this type of injury, but Patrick did. He persisted," Rodriguez said.

“我们常常会想一个人怎么能承受得了这样的伤痛，但是哈迪森做到了。他一直在坚持着，”罗德里格斯说。

Surgeons completed the procedure using the face of 26-year-old David Rodebaugh, a Brooklyn bike mechanic who was pronounced brain dead after a bicycle accident and who donated his organs through Live On NY donor network. The doctors attached Rodebaugh's facial tissue to Hardison's face, connecting some nerves and major veins while allowing other nerves to regenerate.

此次手术用的是布鲁克林地区26岁自行车修理师戴维·罗得鲍的面部组织。罗得鲍骑车遇险，医生宣布脑死亡，他的器官被捐献给纽约“生命延续”捐赠网络。医生将罗得鲍的面部组织与哈迪森的面部组织进行接合，连接部分神经和主动脉，以使其他神经再生。

"I am deeply grateful to my donor and his family," Hardison said in a statement. "Even though I did not know who they would be, I prayed for them every day, knowing the difficult decision they would have to make in order to help me. I hope they see in me the goodness of their decision. I also want to thank Dr. Rodriguez and his amazing team. They have given me more than a new face. They have given me a new life."

哈迪森在一份声明中说：“我十分感谢我的器官捐赠者和他的家庭，虽然我不认识他们，但我每天为他们祈祷。我知道为了帮助我，他们一定经历了艰难地做决定的过程。我希望他们能在我身上，看到他们所做出的决定是多么美好。我也要感谢罗德里格斯医生和他出色的团队。他们给我的不仅是一张全新的脸，更是全新的生命。”

More than 100 physicians, nurses, technical staff, and support staff collaborated on the operation, which has given Hardison improved facial function. They also helped him through his recovery and rehabilitation after the procedure.

在改进哈迪森面部功能的手术中，有100多名医生、护士、技术以及辅助人员参与其中。他们还帮哈迪森度过了术后的恢复和康复阶段。

The cost of the procedure is comparable to a liver transplant, Rodriguez said.

罗德里格斯医生说，整个手术的成本相当于肝脏移植手术。

Hardison is continuing to receive extensive rehabilitation therapy to help with his facial strength and speech.

哈迪森仍将继续接受全面的康复治疗，以恢复面部肌肉力量，恢复语言表达。

"The fact that we were able to perform this and the patient was able to come out of the operating room safely is a very important, historic event," Rodriguez said. "Now we have proven that the technology, the ability to transplant faces, has advanced."

罗德里格斯医生说：“我们能够成功完成手术，病人能平安走出手术室——这是极其重要的历史性事件。现在我们已经证明了人类医学进行面部移植的技术和能力又有了新的提升。”

Vocabulary

prosthetic：假体的

scalp：头皮

plastic surgeon：整形外科医生