Kim Mulkey underwent heart surgery in June to fix '95-99% blocked' artery

LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey underwent a heart procedure, according to a report from Michael Voeple of ESPN.

Tests revealed Mulkey had a “95% to 99%” blockage in an artery. She is expected to return to the sidelines later this year, but she went into the summer with no idea of any heart issues.

After going to the doctor to resolve a reported nagging issue, a chain reaction of tests revealed the blockage.

“LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey said a little numbness on the tip of her finger combined with curiosity resulted in her having a potentially life-saving heart procedure this summer,” Voeple wrote.

Mulkey even said she felt fine and had no idea if there was anything wrong internally.

“I never even felt bad,” Mulkey said. “I’m still kind of in shock that we accidentally found this. So my message in sharing this is, if you’re over 50, go get a stress test.

“I’ve had some of my former teammates tell me, ‘We’re going to do it.’ That’s why I share these things. I’m an open book if it’s something that can help people. It’s just a great lesson for all of us who think that it won’t happen to us.”

Mulkey just led LSU to a national title in only her second year at the school after years of success at Baylor. LSU also approved a 10-year, $36 million contract extension earlier this month. It’s the richest deal ever for a women’s basketball coach.

What led to Mulkey getting a test? A little tingling in her finger that was just enough for her to get checked out.

It was revealed as carpal tunnel syndrome but she also asked to do a scan of her neck after disc-replacement surgery.

Despite checking out fine, further examination of her X-rays revealed plaque in her carotid arteries.

“He said, let’s put you on the treadmill and do a stress test,” Mulkey told ESPN. “Then he said, ‘I don’t like the way this isn’t pumping faster; it looks like there’s a little blockage going on. We’ve got to do a cath.'”

Mulkey explained how the procedure went down and the answers she received to her unique situation.

“You’re awake for the procedure,” she said. “Then they told me, ‘You were 95-99% blocked in one artery.’ And I said, ‘Doc, why didn’t I feel bad in any way?’ He said, ‘You’re what’s called an asymptomatic patient. You’re the ones that can die suddenly and drive cardiologists crazy.’

“I asked if I was likely to have had a heart attack without the procedure, and he said, ‘Yes, eventually.’ I said, ‘Will I feel any different now?’ and he said, ‘No, because you didn’t have symptoms.’ And I feel fine, just like I did before. But it’s really encouraged me to tell people that if you can, get your heart checked.'”

Mulkey is 692-112 in her career, including 60-8 in two seasons at LSU. Winning last year’s national championship put Mulkey into elite territory after winning three at Baylor.