A new way to heal hearts without surgery | Franz Freudenthal

Translator: Wink Wong Reviewer: Queenie Lee

The most complex problems in our time

祗要我哋敢去夢想

can be solved with simple techniques,

我哋呢個時代最難嘅問題

if we are able to dream.

都可以用簡單嘅技巧解決

As a child, I discovered that creativity is the key

我細個已經發現創意

係實現夢想嘅鎖匙

to cross from dreams to reality.

I learned this from my grandmother,

呢樣嘢係我喺嫲嫲嗰度學返嚟

Dr. Ruth Tichauer,

我嫲嫲叫 Ruth Tichauer，係個醫生嚟

a Jewish refugee that settled in the heart of the Andes.

佢係猶太裔難民，後嚟喺 安地斯山脈地區定居

That is how I grew up:

喺我成長裏面

encouraged to see beyond any limitation.

大人都係鼓勵我 唔好俾事物受到限制著目光

So part of my education included helping her

所以我受嘅教育包括

in remote, indigenous communities.

到偏遠嘅土著社區幫佢

I cherish those memories,

呢啲回憶好珍惜

because they helped me to understand life outside the city,

因為啲回憶幫我明白

a life with a lot of possibilities,

城外嘅世界有無限嘅機會

without barriers, as language or culture.

同時無語言同文化嘅限制

During those trips, my grandmother used to recite a Kipling poem:

喺當時旅程裏面，嫲嫲成日 唱一首 Kipling 嘅詩：

"Something hidden. Go and find it.

「有東西躲起來了，快去找它出來。

Go and look behind the Mountains.

到山𥚃去找它吧，

Something lost behind the mountains.

它在山背滅失了。

Lost and waiting for you. Go!"

它滅失了，正等著你。去吧！」

In the coming years, I became a medical student.

後嚟我學醫

One of every hundred children born worldwide

知道世界上每一百個兒童

has some kind of heart disease.

就有一個患心臟病

There's a part of this problem I think I can solve --

於是我諗我可以解決呢個問題嘅一部分

the part of this problem I have spent my life working on.

我一生都為呢一部分努力

The problem starts

而呢一部分

during pregnancy.

係從懷孕期開始

The fetus needs to survive inside the mother.

胎兒要喺母體存活

Survival depends on communication

就需要靠著循環系統

同肺之間流動嘅血

between the systemic and the pulmonary blood.

At the moment of birth,

喺出世嗰陣

this communication needs to stop.

呢種血液流動必然停止

If it doesn't close, the baby has a hole in the heart.

否則，嬰兒嘅心臟就會有個窿

It is caused by prematurity and genetic conditions.

亦就係早産或者遺傳基因問題所見到嘅嘢

But what we know today

但係我哋而家知道

is that a lack of oxygen is also one of the causes.

缺氧都係其中一個原因

As you can see in the chart,

喺圖中，你哋可以睇到

the frequency of this kind of hole

心漏病嘅病發率

dramatically increases with altitude.

隨著海拔越高越大

Video: (Baby crying)

影片：（嬰兒哭聲）

When you look at patients with this condition,

可以見到心漏病病人

they seem desperate to breathe.

好搏命咁呼吸

To close the hole, major surgery used to be the only solution.

以前要封呢嗰窿 做手術係唯一嘅辦法

One night, my friend Malte, were camping in the Amazon region.

有一晩，我個朋友 Malte 喺阿馬遜河叢林露營

The only thing that would not burn in the fire was a green avocado branch.

我哋生火時，只有綠色嘅 鱷利樹枝唔會燒著

Then came a moment of inspiration.

呢樣嘢觸發咗我嘅靈感

So we used the branch as a mold for our first invention.

於是我哋用呢啲樹枝為骨幹

The holes in children's hearts can be closed with it.

做咗第一個用嚟堵塞心漏病嘅發明

A coil is a piece of wire wrapped onto itself.

一個線圈就係一條金屬線不斷繞住自己

It maybe doesn't look so fancy to you now,

可能你哋睇嚟覺得唔係好靚

but that was our first successful attempt

但係，佢係我哋

to create a device for this major problem.

解決呢個大難題嘅第一款儀器

In this video, we can see how a very tiny catheter

喺呢段片，我哋可以 見到一條好幼嘅導管

takes the coil to the heart.

點樣將儀器帶到心臟

The coil then closes the hole.

然後線圈塞著個窿

After that moment of inspiration,

有咗靈感之後

there came a very long time of effort

我哋花咗好耐

developing a prototype.

製作一個雛形

In vitro and in vivo studies took thousands of hours of work in the lab.

試管或者活體研究 喺實驗室裏邊上演咗幾千個鐘

The coil, if it works, can save lives.

如果線圈硏究成功，就能夠救到好多人

I returned from Germany to Bolivia,

我由德國返到玻理維亞

thinking that wherever we go,

途中諗，無論我哋去到邊

we have the opportunity to make a difference.

都會有機會令人哋過得更好

With my wife and partner, Dr. Alexandra Heath,

然後我同太太兼合伙人 Alexandra Heath 醫生

we started to see patients.

開始診症

After successfully treating patients with our coil,

見到病人因為我哋嘅儀器醫返好

we felt really enthusiastic.

我哋都好熱血沸騰

But we live in a place

但係有樣嘢困擾我哋

that is 12,000 feet high.

我哋住喺一處海拔萬二呎高嘅地方

And,

而

the patients there need a special device to solve their heart condition.

嗰度啲病人需要特別嘅儀器治療心臟病

The hole in altitude patients is different,

因為居住喺高海拔嘅病人嘅病情係唔同嘅

because the orifice between the arteries is larger.

因為佢哋動脈中間嗰窿特別大

Most patients cannot afford to be treated on time,

好多病人無錢睇醫生，變咗唔可以及時診治

and they die.

最後就病死

The first coil could successfully treat

第一個發明嘅儀器只可以醫好

only half of the patients in Bolivia.

玻利維亞一半呢類嘅病人

The search started again.

於是研究又繼續

We went back to the drawing board.

我哋返到去畫草稿

After many trials,

經過好多次試驗

and with the help of my grandmother's indigenous friends in the mountains,

同埋得到嫲嫲山區土著朋友幫助

we obtained a new device.

我哋造咗一件新儀器

For centuries, indigenous women told stories by weaving complex patterns

過去幾百年嚟，土著婦女

都係透過布上織複雜嘅圖案去講故仔

on looms,

and an unexpected skill helped us for the new device.

呢啲以前無諗過嘅技藝 竟然幫我哋製造新儀器

We take this traditional method of weaving

我哋利用呢啲傳統嘅織布方法

and make a design made by a smart material

同埋會記録形狀嘅物料

that records shape.

設計咗一樣嘢

It seems this time,

今次嘅織布技巧

the weaving allows us to create a seamless device

令儀器可以一件過生產

that doesn't rust

所以

because it's made of only one piece.

儀器理應唔會生銹，甚至乎係天衣無縫

It can change by itself into very complex structures

展望將來，呢種儀器經過幾十年嘅硏發

by a procedure that took decades to develop.

就會變成好精密嘅結構

As you can see, the device enters the body

可以見到，呢種儀器經過自然嘅渠道

through the natural channels.

進入人體

Doctors have only to close the catheter through the hole.

醫生要做嘅只係將心漏嘅導管關上

Our device expands, places itself

之後儀器會脹大，自我安置好

and closes the hole.

然後封咗個窿

We have this beautiful delivery system

呢個手術

that is so simple to use

容易執行

because it works by itself.

因為儀器會自動操作

No open surgery was necessary.

亦唔需要開刀

(Applause)

（掌聲）

As doctors, we fight with diseases

我哋做醫生嘅

that take a long time and effort to heal -- if they do.

往往需要長時間同精力 先至可以同疾病搏鬥

This is the child from before,

呢個係之前睇到嘅小朋友

after the procedure.

經過手術之後

As you can see --

你可以睇到…

(Applause)

（掌聲）

As you can see, once the device is in place,

只要個儀器埋到去穿窿嘅位置

the patient is 100 percent healed.

病人一定百分百好返

From start to finish,

由開始到完成

the whole procedure takes only 30 minutes.

成個程序只需要半個鐘頭

That's very rewarding from the medical and human point of view.

從醫學同常人嘅角度嚟講都令人鼓舞

We are so proud that some of our former patients

以前嘅一啲病人家陣加入咗我哋團隊

are part of our team --

佢哋令我哋好驕傲

a team, thanks to added close interaction

咁係多得團隊之前同參與研究嘅病人

with patients that work with us.

有緊密溝通

Together, we have only one idea:

講到呢度，我哋只有一個信念：

the best solutions need to be simple.

最好嘅方法一定要簡單

We lost the fear of creating something new.

雖然我哋以前怕創造新嘅嘢

The path, it's not easy.

雖然路途艱難

Many obstacles arise all the time.

困難重重

But we receive strength from our patients.

但係我哋嘅病人都好支持我哋

Their resilience and courage

佢哋嘅抗逆能力同勇氣

inspire our creativity.

都激發我哋嘅創意

Our goal is to make sure

我哋嘅目標係話︰

that no child is left behind,

冇一個兒童

not because of cost or access.

會因為經費或者就醫機會而得唔到治療

So we have to start a foundation

於是我哋成立一個

with a one-to-one model.

以一對一嘅模式營運嘅基金

We will give one device for free

仲會向每位兒童免費提供一件儀器

to make sure that every child is treated.

等佢哋都可以接受治療

We are in many countries now,

我哋現今已經推展到好多國家

but we need to be everywhere.

但我哋仲需要走到世界每個角落

This whole thing began

呢件事

源自一個無可能實現嘅念頭

with one impossible idea

as will continue it, really:

而且會延續落去

No child is left behind.

確保每一個兒童都得到醫治

Muchas gracias.

多謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）