史上最大面積臉部移植手術讓被火毀容消防員重生

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，美國密西西比州塞納託比亞41歲的志願消防員哈迪森在居民區救火時，臉部被大面積燒傷——從此他的生活徹底改變了。

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，他失去了眼瞼、耳朵、嘴脣、幾乎整個鼻子以及所有面部毛髮。從那以後，哈迪森外出時會戴上籃球帽、墨鏡和假耳朵來遮蓋他的傷疤。但現在，他有了一張全新的臉。

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，哈迪森在紐約大學朗格尼醫學中心接受了面部移植手術，包括新的麪皮、頭皮、耳朵、下巴、臉頰、鼻子、眼瞼和控制眨眼動作的肌肉。現在，他恢復的很順利，這次手術被稱爲史上最大面積的臉部移植手術，也是紐約的第一例。

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

醫院在週一舉行的新聞發佈會上透露了手術情況。

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.

爲哈迪森進行了26個小時手術的外科整形醫生羅德里格斯說，讓哈迪森能睜眼和閉眼是這次手術的主要目的。醫生移植病人的眼瞼，這是第一次。

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

“我們常常會想一個人怎麼能承受得了這樣的傷痛，但是哈迪森做到了。他一直在堅持着，”羅德里格斯說。

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.

此次手術用的是布魯克林地區26歲自行車修理師戴維·羅得鮑的面部組織。羅得鮑騎車遇險，醫生宣佈腦死亡，他的器官被捐獻給紐約“生命延續”捐贈網絡。醫生將羅得鮑的面部組織與哈迪森的面部組織進行接合，連接部分神經和主動脈，以使其他神經再生。

"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."

哈迪森在一份聲明中說：“我十分感謝我的器官捐贈者和他的家庭，雖然我不認識他們，但我每天爲他們祈禱。我知道爲了幫助我，他們一定經歷了艱難地做決定的過程。我希望他們能在我身上，看到他們所做出的決定是多麼美好。我也要感謝羅德里格斯醫生和他出色的團隊。他們給我的不僅是一張全新的臉，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.

在改進哈迪森面部功能的手術中，有100多名醫生、護士、技術以及輔助人員參與其中。他們還幫哈迪森度過了術後的恢復和康復階段。

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

羅德里格斯醫生說，整個手術的成本相當於肝臟移植手術。

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

哈迪森仍將繼續接受全面的康復治療，以恢復面部肌肉力量，恢復語言表達。

"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."

羅德里格斯醫生說：“我們能夠成功完成手術，病人能平安走出手術室——這是極其重要的歷史性事件。現在我們已經證明了人類醫學進行面部移植的技術和能力又有了新的提升。”