Locking tables on persistent connections

Are there any issues to be aware of when using LOCK TABLES <table> WRITE when using persistent connections? What would happen if for some reason the process was to die before it reached UNLOCK TABLES? Would that persistent connection no longer be able to talk to the table that I locked? Our previous developer had run into a bug with this scenario, I am no longer able to contact him to find out what that bug was, but he moved to non-persistent connections to solve the problem. At our current load, this is no longer an acceptable alternative...the connections are just too expensive now. Thanks Bob Silva Lead Developer Bravenet Web Services www.bravenet.com