环球英语 — 54：Beating Heart Transplant
Voice 1
Hello. I’m Elizabeth Lickiss.
Voice 2
And I’m Christy Van Arragon. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The beat of the human heart. The sound of life as it pumps blood around our bodies. But for people with heart disease the pump is wearing out. Their only chance to survive is a heart transplant. They need an operation to give them a new heart. On today’s Spotlight programme we hear about a new method of transplanting hearts. It could save many more people’s lives.
Voice 2
Richard Taylor was enjoying life. He loved his sport of in-line skating. Racing at great speeds was fun. It was something that Richard was good at. In fact he was so good that he became the UK champion. Many people had great hopes for his future.
Voice 1
But Richard never fulfilled those hopes. At the age of twenty-three [23] Richard crashed his car. He died soon afterwards. It was a terrible time for Richard’s parents and family. But they bravely decided to donate Richard’s body organs. They permitted doctors to use the organs to help other people. Richard’s father said,
Voice 3
‘We discussed donation when Richard was alive. Richard believed that it was a good thing to do. I agreed. But at the time I never thought I would have to decide what to do about Richards’s organs. He was such a fit young man. No one expected him to die early. But I feel I made the right choice. I know that other people have the chance of life now. It is the only miracle to come out of this tragic situation. It has been a great help to our family’.
Voice 1
Many people suffer from diseases of the kidneys, liver and heart. When these organs fail, people’s lives are at risk. A transplant operation can save the life of such a person. Doctors remove the infected organ. And they put a healthy organ in its place. The healthy organ comes from a donor like Richard. Richard was able to give his heart, pancreas, kidneys, liver and eyes. Today, several people are alive and well because of his donation.
Voice 2
But sadly this is not the case for everyone. Donated organs are very hard to get. Hearts are especially difficult. The problem is that the new heart has to come from the right donor. It has to come from a healthy person who has died, maybe in an accident. Their brain is dead - there is no chance of them recovering. But a machine keeps their heart beating. And the donor organ has to be very similar to the patient’s old heart. If it is not, the body will reject it as something foreign.
Voice 1
Doctors operate to remove the donor heart. They inject a chemical containing potassium into the heart. This stops the heart from beating. Then they put the heart in ice. This helps to keep the heart in a good condition. But they can only keep it this way for four to six hours. After this they cannot use the organ.
Voice 2
It is difficult to link donor hearts and patients together. Sometimes it is not possible to do so in such a short space of time. For example, the donor may be a long distance away. So the donor heart goes to waste - it cannot be used. But in the future doctors may be able to keep hearts in a good condition for longer than six hours. This would help them greatly. This is thanks to research from scientists at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England. They have invented a new method of protecting donor hearts.
Voice 1
The new method involves keeping the donated heart warm and beating. In the new system, doctors attach the heart to a machine. They do not put it in ice. The machine keeps the heart beating. Warm blood flows through it. The blood is rich in oxygen.
Voice 2
The machine gives doctors time to examine the heart for any damage. It also gives them a chance to link the organ with a sick patient. They can keep the heart outside the body longer using the machine. The heart reaches the patient in much better condition.
Voice 1
In the year 2006, doctors performed the first beating heart transplant in the United Kingdom. The man recovered well from the operation. However, only time will tell if his donor heart will continue to work well.
Voice 2
But doctors are happy with his progress so far. Professor Peter Weissberg is from the British Heart Foundation. He said,
Voice 3
‘We hope that this new method will prove successful for more patients. Then distance does not need to be a problem. We can take donor hearts anywhere in the world. This will make it much easier for people to find the correct donor organ’
Voice 1
Doctors may be able to extend the life of a donor organ. But there is still one difficult issue to deal with. Donor hearts have to be donated. Doctors need families to permit them to remove organs. It is not always easy for families to do this. Donors are often young people who have died suddenly and unexpectedly. Their families are often in shock. It is difficult to think clearly in these situations. But people like Richard Taylor talked about the issue before he died. He had made his wishes clear to his family. His father says that this made things easier for him. He knew he was doing what Richard wanted.
Voice 2
Tom Berryhill is a man who gives thanks to people like Richard and his father. He is alive today because of a heart transplant. Tom’s donor carried a donor card. A donor card is a small paper. The paper makes the persons wishes clear. It says that he or she is willing to be a donor in the event of death.
Tom says,
Voice 3
‘I was so sick before my transplant. I could not walk, I could not do anything. Now I am full of life. That wonderful person gave me a chance to live again. I plan to honour him by making the most of it. My life is so full of good things now. I thank God every day. My little daughter is now four years old. Being able to be with my little daughter is beautiful. She will wake up and say, “Daddy it is a lovely day!” And I say, “It sure is, Sam.”’
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