VIDEO: A family medicine doctor in Kaysville is back at work just two weeks after suffering a major heart attack right in his practice. The Kaysville Fire Department shared his story online, highlighting how important CPR and a quick response time has been to this doctor’s recovery.
Dr. Layne Kamalu said it was a regular Monday morning; he arrived at Kaysville Clinic Family Medicine at 9 a.m., saw one patient, then collapsed in his office.
“The vessel that was blocked, they call that the ‘widowmaker’ because, a lot of times you don’t survive it,” explained Kamalu. The doctor fell in front of his office door, so his staff had to climb in and shift his body before beginning lifesaving measures.
“We just immediately went into CPR. And luckily, I took a class cause he believed his staff should have them,” said office manager Shannon Nielsen.
EMTs arrived within 90 seconds of the 911 call; Fire Station 61 sits right across the street from the clinic. Responders shocked Kamalu’s heart four times before he revived, then loaded the doctor into an ambulance with the help of a CPR machine called a LUCAS device. Kamalu was in surgery within 30 minutes of his fall.
