Phin Ken holds his daughter, Socheat Nha at Sophy's Restarant in Long Beach last month. Socheat's heart condition is worse than originally thought and doctors have said the cannot operate. (Jeff Gritchen/Press-Telegram)03/01/2010
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram
Monday was supposed to be a happy day. Instead, the family of Socheat Nha, a 2-year-old Cambodian girl scheduled for life-altering heart surgery, was dealt a devastating blow.
During a preoperation examination, it was determined the girl's condition was worse that initially thought and a donated surgery scheduled for Thursday in Las Vegas was canceled.
"This unfortunately is not going to be a feel-good story," said Dr. William Evans, the cardiologist who tested Socheat. "The risk (for surgery) is too great."
Shortly after beginning testing on the child, Evans had a sinking feeling.
An expected narrowing of the pulmonary tract between the heart and lungs was missing. This led to high pressure in the lungs from oxygenated blood flowing back into the lungs rather than out to the body and has already caused a significant amount of irreversible lung damage.
After consulting with other doctors of the Children's Heart Center and Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, Evans had to tell the family that Socheat risked a better than 50 percent chance of dying on the operating table with the surgery.
That's a risk the doctors couldn't take.
"We have to do the right thing," Evans said.
Evans was part of the same team that in December 2008, performed open heart surgery on another Cambodian, 11-month-old Soksamnang Vy, but this time had to turn away a patient.
Vy's heart ailment was much less severe; the hole in his heart was smaller and he did not have the same lung damage as Socheat.
Evans said if Socheat were a U.S. citizen, she would likely be given oxygen and put on a list for a heart-lung transplant.
Evans said that option, even if available, would have its own set of drawbacks that might be worse than no treatment.
Among those are the long waiting list (about 16 percent die while waiting for a heart), the inability to receive care in Cambodia after the surgery, and the low prospects of long life expectancy after surgery.
Evans said it might be a blessing that Socheat is not an American where "we would be hard-pressed not to intervene."
Evans did his best to paint a positive picture and wouldn't give a life expectancy timeline. He said Socheat could live many years as have other patients of his with similar ailments.
Still the prognosis is grim.
There was some disagreement between Evans and Dr. Paul Grossfeld, who did the initial assessment in Cambodia about some aspects of Socheat's condition, but a variety of sources place her life expectancy to range between 20 and 40.
She will also suffer from cyanosis, or bluing of the skin from the lack of oxygenated red blood, shortness of breath and fatigue, that will increase as she gets older.
The daughter of a rice farmer from Southern Cambodia with family here in Long Beach, Socheat was the third patient brought to the United States for surgery by local nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries.
Her condition, however, was by far the most severe. And this is its first failure.
Hearts Without Boundaries founder Peter Chhun could barely speak and blamed himself.
"We brought this family here with great hope," Chhun said in a halting voice.
The prognosis drove home the problem of trying to properly diagnose and treat patients from long distances, especially from a country that lacks proper facilities and technology.
"It's a humbling reminder of what we're dealing with," Grossfeld said. "When we did the original evaluation, obviously we had limited resources. At that time, the hope was that we could operate."
Kenha Heang, a cousin who accompanied Socheat and her dad, said he was stunned and deflated.
"We had so many plans and so much hope," Heang said.
Heang said Phin Ken, Socheat's father, held in his emotion when he heard the news, possibly because he had heard it before when Cambodian doctors couldn't begin to assess Socheat properly.
Still, for someone who had gone from despair and resignation to delirious hope, the setback had to be hard. He came to the U.S. where he believed "miracles" occur, only to face a sobering reality.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
During a preoperation examination, it was determined the girl's condition was worse that initially thought and a donated surgery scheduled for Thursday in Las Vegas was canceled.
"This unfortunately is not going to be a feel-good story," said Dr. William Evans, the cardiologist who tested Socheat. "The risk (for surgery) is too great."
Shortly after beginning testing on the child, Evans had a sinking feeling.
An expected narrowing of the pulmonary tract between the heart and lungs was missing. This led to high pressure in the lungs from oxygenated blood flowing back into the lungs rather than out to the body and has already caused a significant amount of irreversible lung damage.
After consulting with other doctors of the Children's Heart Center and Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, Evans had to tell the family that Socheat risked a better than 50 percent chance of dying on the operating table with the surgery.
That's a risk the doctors couldn't take.
"We have to do the right thing," Evans said.
Evans was part of the same team that in December 2008, performed open heart surgery on another Cambodian, 11-month-old Soksamnang Vy, but this time had to turn away a patient.
Vy's heart ailment was much less severe; the hole in his heart was smaller and he did not have the same lung damage as Socheat.
Evans said if Socheat were a U.S. citizen, she would likely be given oxygen and put on a list for a heart-lung transplant.
Evans said that option, even if available, would have its own set of drawbacks that might be worse than no treatment.
Among those are the long waiting list (about 16 percent die while waiting for a heart), the inability to receive care in Cambodia after the surgery, and the low prospects of long life expectancy after surgery.
Evans said it might be a blessing that Socheat is not an American where "we would be hard-pressed not to intervene."
Evans did his best to paint a positive picture and wouldn't give a life expectancy timeline. He said Socheat could live many years as have other patients of his with similar ailments.
Still the prognosis is grim.
There was some disagreement between Evans and Dr. Paul Grossfeld, who did the initial assessment in Cambodia about some aspects of Socheat's condition, but a variety of sources place her life expectancy to range between 20 and 40.
She will also suffer from cyanosis, or bluing of the skin from the lack of oxygenated red blood, shortness of breath and fatigue, that will increase as she gets older.
The daughter of a rice farmer from Southern Cambodia with family here in Long Beach, Socheat was the third patient brought to the United States for surgery by local nonprofit Hearts Without Boundaries.
Her condition, however, was by far the most severe. And this is its first failure.
Hearts Without Boundaries founder Peter Chhun could barely speak and blamed himself.
"We brought this family here with great hope," Chhun said in a halting voice.
The prognosis drove home the problem of trying to properly diagnose and treat patients from long distances, especially from a country that lacks proper facilities and technology.
"It's a humbling reminder of what we're dealing with," Grossfeld said. "When we did the original evaluation, obviously we had limited resources. At that time, the hope was that we could operate."
Kenha Heang, a cousin who accompanied Socheat and her dad, said he was stunned and deflated.
"We had so many plans and so much hope," Heang said.
Heang said Phin Ken, Socheat's father, held in his emotion when he heard the news, possibly because he had heard it before when Cambodian doctors couldn't begin to assess Socheat properly.
Still, for someone who had gone from despair and resignation to delirious hope, the setback had to be hard. He came to the U.S. where he believed "miracles" occur, only to face a sobering reality.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
7 comments:
Socheat Nha should be Socheat Phin daugther of Ken Phin, what is the fuck of their names ?
And what the fuck you, mother-fucker, need to care about the name when her life is in this condition.
Go fuck your mother's hole, bullshit.
Sad..
4:58...you're inhumane.
,- -.
4:58PM, Gay man
Why do uneducated people talking trash in this story? Are you gay man who don't have feeling or sympathy to the little girl. Don't just open your mouth without thinking of hurting other people's feeling. You must be Ah Hun Sen's children who don't know or care anybody except to serve Hanoi.
I felt sorry for this little girl who is about my daughter's age. I'm so sad when I see her face. She didn't know anything or understand what she is facing. Only adults like us know what to happen to her life. She is so adorable and loving girl.
I wish an angel to protect her from her illness and wish her family well.
The girl family should contact or research other doctors to see if they can help her. Don't just listen to one or two doctors, but search in the internet to find other doctor that might can help her. Don't lost your hope.
Khmer people have suffering everyday because of one man, Hun Sen, who doesn't care about Cambodia people. How many people die everyday or homeless in our country? He is a blind man who cares about Youn life and hurts Cambodian people.
He is a worse leader of Khmer nation. He helps to destroy Khmer people and her country for Youn interest.
I WILL PRAY FOR THIS CHILD AND SHE SHOULD BE HEALED. IN MY GOD'S NAME I'LL PRAY FOR HER. THERE IS HOPE.
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