From Bangkok to Ben Taub
Wife of UN Official Undergoes Unique Heart Procedure

Duk-Myung Kim’s daily walks became increasingly harder and shorter. Eventually, bouts of severe fatigue and shortness of breath sidelined her workouts entirely.

Diagnosed early last year with a rare cardiac disease, Kim received life-saving help in December after traveling more than halfway around the world to Ben Taub General Hospital from Bangkok, Thailand.

As the wife of Hak-Su Kim, the United Nations’ undersecretary general for Asian economic and social commerce, she could have gone anywhere in the world for treatment. In fact, her Bangkok doctor had already scheduled her for open-heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. However, such drastic surgery scared Kim, and she cancelled the procedure.

After an exhaustive search on the Internet, the Kims discovered Nasser Lakkis, M.D., and his less-invasive heart procedure called alcohol ablation. Lakkis is director of invasive cardiology at Ben Taub, a Harris County Hospital District facility, and associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

“When we found Dr. Lakkis, we knew we had to come to Houston,” Mr. Kim said.

Mrs. Kim’s disease, Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyophathy, mirrors respiratory symptoms of shortness of breath, tiredness and dizziness. It usually goes undiagnosed and if left untreated, the disease (an obstruction of the left ventricle by an enlarged heart muscle) can be fatal. In recent years, a number of high profile athletes have died of Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyophathy.

Lakkis developed an unconventional treatment for the condition in 1996. He and his Texas Medical Center colleagues have performed 300 procedures, 50 alone at Ben Taub. The procedure is quick and has a 98-percent success rate. Most patients recover fast and can resume active lives within a few weeks.

During the procedure, Lakkis and staff make a small incision in the skin and thread a balloon catheter through the affected blood vessel. This nourishes the abnormal muscle that is causing the obstruction. The muscle is then injected with ethanol to induce a small heart attack. The muscle’s scarring, caused by the heart attack, keeps it from again obstructing the blood vessel.

The result is better bloodflow and dramatic reduction of symptoms.

“We’re so happy with the procedure and happy we came to Ben Taub Hospital in Houston,” Mrs. Kim said. “I felt good about my care and the staff was friendly and helpful all the time.”

Lakkis is happy with the results and expects his patient to make a full recovery.

“Resuming my walking routine is proof the procedure worked and that we made the right choice,” Mrs. Kim said.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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