A Small Heart Attack Now May Prevent Later Attacks

A chance viewing of the television show "Ripley’s Believe It or Not" brought 30-year-old Brian Winters of Oklahoma more than 600 miles to the Harris County Hospital District’s Ben Taub General Hospital.

Winters is currently recovering from a unique procedure his cardiologist says may have saved his life. And his cardiologist, Dr. Nasser Lakkis, director of invasive cardiology, wants to create a National Referral Center for sufferers of Winter’s condition, Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy, at Ben Taub.

As the pioneer of the procedure, Dr. Lakkis, along with Dr. William Spencer, has performed 300 operations at Ben Taub and at the nearby Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

"I’m happy to say we have a 98 percent success rate with the procedure," Dr. Lakkis said.

The procedure induces a small, localized heart attack in the patient to relieve a life-threatening obstruction to the left ventricle, the largest of the four chambers of the heart.

"I envision a National Referral Center where patients from across the country can come in to be screened and treated," Dr. Lakkis said. "We could create an environment at Ben Taub that would draw patients from across the nation because of our clinical expertise. I know we can do it."

Last year, Dr. Lakkis performed 30 procedures. The procedure’s success rate has brought patients to Ben Taub from various regions of the United States.

Medicine.com reports one in 500 Americans suffers from the potentially deadly disorder, which can affect adults of all ages. Symptoms include chest pains, shortness of breath and dizziness. Patients undergoing the procedure usually require an implanted defibrillator to shock the heart back to life.

"I can walk again," said Winters following his procedure. "I’m confident I will continue to improve."

Winters’ father, Virgil, is also hopeful, and now knows that what he saw on television saved his son’s life.

"Doctors in Oklahoma were telling me they couldn’t do anything more for him," he said. "We were pretty desperate."

He remembered the show and told his doctor about it. His doctor contacted Dr. Lakkis, who told them to bring Brian to Houston.

"All I knew was that a doctor in Houston had saved a patient from having a heart attack by causing a heart attack, so I had to try," Virgil Winters said.

The fight to save Brian gained more urgency after his 37-year-old brother, also suffering from the same disease, died suddenly last September.

Success stories like these spur Dr. Lakkis to continue. His work on the National Referral Center at Ben Taub Hospital is ongoing.

For more information about the procedure or the referral center, contact Dr. Lakkis at (713) 873-2083.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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