VOA健康报道2023 放射疗法可以治疗心律不齐?（在线收听）

American researchers have reported some success using radiation to treat patients experiencing irregular heartbeats.

美国研究人员报告称，在使用放射疗法治疗心律不齐的患者上取得了一些成功。

The highly experimental treatment has only been tried on a small number of patients.

这种高度实验性的疗法只在一小部分患者身上试用过。

But doctors are preparing to carry out the first major study to test its effectiveness on large groups of people.

但医生们正准备进行第一次大型研究，以测试其在大范围人群中的有效性。

Scientists working on the treatment say early research suggests radiation may reprogram misfiring heart cells to control heartbeats like younger, healthier cells do.

研究这种治疗的科学家表示，早期研究表明，放射疗法可能会重编失活的心脏细胞，使其变成像更年轻、更健康的细胞那样控制心跳的细胞。

An irregular heartbeat, known medically as ventricular tachycardia, is a major cause of sudden heart attacks worldwide.

心律不齐，医学上称为室性心动过速，是全球突发心脏病的主要原因。

In the United States, the condition is blamed for about 300,000 deaths each year.

在美国，每年约有30万人死于这种疾病。

Treating the condition with radiation is extremely unusual.

用放射疗法治疗这种疾病是非常不寻常的。

Even doctors treating cancer patients are trained to avoid targeting the heart.

即使是治疗癌症患者的医生也接受过避免以心脏为目标的培训。

There is concern that the radiation could cause additional harm.

人们担心，放射疗法可能会造成额外的伤害。

But doctors studying the treatment say they have seen such good results they are looking forward to expanding their research.

但研究该疗法的医生表示，他们已经看到了很好的结果，他们期待着扩大他们的研究规模。

The scientific team says the treatment would be targeted at patients with life-threatening irregular heartbeats who have tried other methods without success.

该科学小组表示，这种疗法将针对那些尝试过其他方法但没有成功的、危及生命的心律不齐患者。

The study will attempt to see whether a one-time radiation treatment can be a safe and effective way to treat irregular heartbeat patients who have not been helped by other methods.

这项研究将试图了解一次性放射治疗是否可以安全有效地治疗那些尝试过其他方法但没有成功的心率不齐患者。

Dr. Stacey Rentschler is a developmental biologist who treats heart patients at the Washington University in St. Louis.

Stacey Rentschler博士是一名发育生物学家，她在圣路易斯的华盛顿大学治疗心脏病患者。

She told The Associated Press the treatment "may actually rejuvenate sick tissue."

她告诉美联社，这种疗法“实际上可能会使患病组织恢复活力。”

Rentschler called that result "pretty exciting."

Rentschler称这一结果“非常令人兴奋”。

One patient who agreed to receive the experimental treatment is Jeff Backus of Louisville, Kentucky.

肯塔基州路易斯维尔的杰夫·巴克斯是一名同意接受实验性治疗的患者。

He was unable to solve his heart problems with other treatment methods.

他无法用其他治疗方法解决自己的心脏问题。

Backus had already gone through a lengthy operation to keep his heart beating normally.

为了保持心脏正常跳动，巴克斯已经做了一次漫长的手术。

Doctors put a piece of equipment, called a defibrillator, inside his body to assist his heart when needed.

医生在他体内放置了一种名为除颤器的设备，以便在需要时帮助他的心脏。

But Backus' poor health continued.

但巴克斯的健康状况一直不佳。

He would sometimes pass out and awaken to severe chest pain.

他有时会昏倒，醒来时胸口剧痛。

Backus said the defibrillator had to save him by shocking his heart back into normal beating.

巴克斯说，除颤器必须通过电击他的心脏恢复正常跳动来拯救他。

"You're always in the back of your mind thinking, ‘Is it going to happen?'" Backus told the AP.

巴克斯告诉美联社：“你总是在内心深处想，‘这会发生吗？’”

He decided to try the experimental radiation treatment in February.

他决定在2月份尝试实验性的放射治疗。

So far, he is doing well, and the method, he said, "gave me some hope."

到目前为止，他过得很好，他说，这种方法“给了我一些希望”。

The heart's electrical system normally makes it beat at a rate anywhere from 60 to 100 times a minute.

心脏的电子系统通常使它以每分钟60到100次的速度跳动。

Ventricular tachycardia is a super-fast heartbeat that affects the organ's ability to pump blood.

室性心动过速是一种超快的心跳，会影响心脏的泵血能力。

The condition can develop after damage from a past heart attack.

这种疾病可能会发生在以往心脏病发作造成的损害之后。

The main treatment method involves doctors putting small catheters inside the heart to identify and burn misfiring tissue, which can block bad signals.

主要的治疗方法是医生在心脏内放置小导管，以识别和烧毁失活组织，这可以阻止不良信号。

Some patients, however, are too sick to receive the catheter treatment.

然而，一些患者病情严重，无法接受导管治疗。

And for others, like Backus, the problem often returns.

而对于像巴克斯这样的人来说，这个问题经常会再次出现。

The idea for the radiation treatment came from Dr. Phillip Cuculich, a heart specialist at Washington University.

放射疗法的想法来自华盛顿大学的心脏病专家菲利普·库库里奇博士。

Cuculich teamed up with Dr. Clifford Robinson, who specializes in exact targeting of cancer while avoiding nearby healthy tissue.

库库里奇博士与克利福德·罗宾逊博士合作，罗宾逊博士擅长癌症的精确靶向治疗，同时避开附近的健康组织。

Robinson said he was never aiming for the heart during cancer treatments and instead always tried to miss the organ.

罗宾逊说，在癌症治疗期间，他从来没有瞄准过心脏，而是总是试图避开这个器官。

But he agreed to try and warned patients about possible long-term risks.

但他同意尝试，并警告患者可能存在的长期风险。

He said his first patient told him, "You're concerned about something that might happen 10 or 20 years from now? I'm worried about tomorrow."

他说，他的第一个病人告诉他，“你担心的是10年或20年后可能发生的事情？而我担心的是明天。”

"That was really eye-opening," he added.

“这真的让人大开眼界，”他补充道。

Cuculich and Robinson reported their first successes in 2017 and 2019.

库库里奇博士和罗宾逊博士在2017年和2019年报告了他们的首次成功。

Experiments with small numbers of severely sick patients showed major improvement.

对少数重症患者进行的实验显示，情况有了很大改善。

They say some patients are doing well up to six years later.

他们说，一些患者在长达六年的时间里病情好转。

The treatment has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

该疗法尚未得到美国食品药品监督管理局的批准。

But Cuculich and Robinson have received permission to treat about 80 people on a case-by-case basis.

但库库里奇博士和罗宾逊博士已经获得了根据具体情况治疗大约80人的许可。

The team has also taught the method to many hospitals in the U.S. and other countries that have agreed to try it.

该团队还向美国和其他国家的许多医院教授了这种方法，这些医院同意尝试这种方法。