Why Doctors May Not Always Try to Save a Fingertip

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。
We started talking last week about how to decide if a common injury -- a bleeding cut on a finger -- requires medical attention. If the bleeding stops when you press on it for a few minutes, then you probably do not need a doctor. But if the injury is more serious, then you could suffer permanent damage unless you get help.
上周我们讨论了如何判断手指流血这种常见伤是否需要就医。如果按压几分钟后即可止血，可能就不需要就医。但如果伤口更加严重，如果不就医可能就会造成永久性损伤。
Dr. Martin Brown is chairman of emergency medicine at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Virginia. He says injuries that damage a "deep structure" like a bone, tendon or nerve should always be treated by a doctor.
马丁·布朗医生是弗吉尼亚州Inova Alexandria医院急诊科主任。他说，伤及骨头、肌腱、神经一类深层组织的伤口通常必须就医处理。
MARTIN BROWN: "When deep structures are involved, it's a different ballgame."
布朗：“如果伤及到深层组织，就是另一回事了。”
Forceful bleeding and bright red blood are dangerous signs of a deep cut. Dr. Brown says there are different medical products that can help stop the bleeding. One example is Gelfoam.
较深伤口的危险征兆是出血强劲或颜色鲜红。布朗医生称，有多种不同的医疗产品可以帮助止血，例如明胶海绵。
MARTIN BROWN: "Gelfoam is a cellulose product that promotes the clotting² of blood by giving blood sort of a matrix upon which to clot¹."
布朗：“明胶海绵是一种通过在伤口处提供基质胶，从而促进血液凝结的纤维产品。”
The traditional way to close a serious cut is with sutures, also known as stitches. A needle and nylon thread are used to sew the edges of the wound together.
闭合比较严重的伤口的传统方式是缝针，使用医用针线将伤口边缘缝合。
But Dr. Brown says a more recent development is a medical glue.
但布朗医生称，最新的发展是使用医用胶。
MARTIN BROWN: "That's a glue that's very similar if not identical to super glue, but it's a sterile³ form of that."
布朗：“这种胶和强力胶完全不同，它是一种无菌的医用胶。”
Super glue makes many things stick together. But Dr. Brown says people should not use it on injuries. He says the medical glue can be used when a cut is straight and comes together easily.
强力胶可以将很多东西粘合到一起。但布朗医生表示，这种胶不能用于伤口。而医用胶可以用于平直、容易闭合的伤口。
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has advice on its website about what to do if a fingertip is not just cut but cut off.
美国骨科医师学会在其网站上就指头被切断如何处理提出了建议。
First, gently clean the amputated part with water or saline. Dr. Brown says people can use a saline cleaner for contact lenses. Saline contains salt.
首先，使用清洁水或生理盐水小心清洗断指。布朗医生称，人们也可以使用生理盐水清洗隐形眼镜。生理盐水含有盐分。
Next, without drying the fingertip, cover the part in gauze or a cloth. Place it in a waterproof⁴ bag and place the bag on ice. Do not put the amputated part itself directly on ice. That could damage it more.
然后，保持断指湿润并使用纱布覆盖，装入防水袋，再把防水袋放到冰块里。不要直接把断指放到冰块中，那样会使断指损伤更严重。
Bring the fingertip to a hospital as quickly as possible.
带着断指尽快就医。
A surgeon may try to reattach a fingertip that is cut off below the first joint⁵. But Dr. Brown says fingertips are not often reattached if they are the length of a fingernail or shorter.
外科医生可能会在首个关节以下重接指头。但布朗医生称，如果断掉的指头只有指甲那么长或更短，可能无法重接。
He says a reattachment operation can take many hours.
他表示一次重接手续可能耗时数小时。
MARTIN BROWN: "It's not a simple procedure by any means. It's done under a microscope, reattaching nerves and arteries⁶ and tendons."
布朗：“无论如何，这不是一种简单的手术。手术需要重接神经、血管和肌腱，全部在显微镜下完成。”
Even then, he says, the result will not necessarily be better than losing part of a finger. Dr. Brown says patients must also be willing to undergo a rehabilitation⁷ process to regain⁸ use of the finger.
布朗医生说，即使这样，手术结果也未必比失去断指部分更好。他说，病人还必须经历恢复手指功能的康复过程。
MARTIN BROWN: "Reattachment is a real commitment by the patient and the doctor. Amputation⁹ is a simple thing."
布朗：“断指再植是医生和病人的共同战斗，截肢则简单得多。”
And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Brianna Blake. To learn more about how to treat injuries, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Shirley Griffith.

1 clot   

n.凝块；v.使凝成块

参考例句：

• Platelets are one of the components required to make blood clot.血小板是血液凝固的必须成分之一。
• The patient's blood refused to clot.病人的血液无法凝结。

2 clotting   

v.凝固( clot的现在分词 )；烧结

参考例句：

• The study was also based only on the one anti-clotting drug. 所用抗血栓药物也仅限于一种。 来自互联网
• A plasma protein that is converted into thrombin during blood clotting. 凝血原酶一种血浆蛋白质，在血液凝聚时转化成凝血''。'酵'。''''。'素'。''。 来自互联网

3 sterile   

adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上，保持奶嘴无菌。
• The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields.农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。

4 waterproof   

n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水

参考例句：

• My mother bought me a waterproof watch.我妈妈给我买了一块防水手表。
• All the electronics are housed in a waterproof box.所有电子设备都储放在一个防水盒中。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

6 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

8 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

9 amputation   

n.截肢

参考例句：

• In ancient India,adultery was punished by amputation of the nose.在古代印度，通奸要受到剖鼻的处罚。
• He lived only hours after the amputation.截肢后，他只活了几个小时。