心颤指的是一种心律失常,它经常产生破坏性的心悸、疲劳、甚至呼吸急促。更糟糕的是心颤可以大大增加你患中风的风险。如果你患有心颤，就需要治疗。问题是：哪种治疗方法对你来说是合适的?

　　The reason this question is often a difficult one to answer is because there is no treatment for atrial fibrillation that, in a majority of patients, is both safe and effective at getting rid of the arrhythmia and restoring a normal rhythm.

　　这个问题的病因通常很难回答，因为对大多数患者来说,没有治疗心颤的既安全又有效的办法，来消除心律失常及恢复正常的心跳节奏。

　　Deciding on the "right" treatment for any individual with atrial fibrillation is most often a compromise.

　　决定任何个人治疗心颤的“正确”方法通常是妥协。

　　If it were easy and safe to restore and maintain a normal heart rhythm, then the goal of treating atrial fibrillation would be to do just that—to get your heart rhythm back to normal and keep it there. This approach to therapy is called the rhythm-control approach. And while this indeed turns out to be the right approach for many patients, in others it is a treatment goal that is simply not achievable at an acceptable level of risk.

　　如果很容易并安全的恢复和维持一个正常的心律，那么治疗心颤的目标就做到了-让你的心律恢复正常并保持正常。这种治疗方法称为心率控制法。对于许多患者来说，虽然这的确是正确的方法，但在其他的治疗目标中，不仅仅是可以在一个可接受的风险水平上是可实现的。

　　For many people with atrial fibrillation, an alternative approach to therapy—one that can be more effective and safer—is to allow the atrial fibrillation to persist, while taking measures to eliminate symptoms and reduce the risk of stroke. This second approach to therapy, often called the rate-control approach, means conceding that atrial fibrillation is the "new normal" and working toward controlling the heart rate (to diminish symptoms) and using anticoagulation therapy (blood thinners) or aspirin to reduce the risk of stroke.

　　对于许多患有心颤的人来说，一种变换治疗的方法是，当采取措施消除症状和减少中风风险时，这种方法可更有效和更安全的允许心颤持续下去。第二种治疗方法通常称为速率控制法，这意味着承认心颤是“新常态”、致力于控制心率(减少症状)和使用抗凝治疗(血液稀释剂)或阿司匹林降低中风的危险。

　　While this rate-control approach may at first glance seem less desirable than rhythm control, there are compelling reasons to use it in many patients with atrial fibrillation.

　　虽然这种控制速率法乍一看可能不如心率控制法需求大，但是用到一些心颤患者的身上有时很有必要。