A Second Cardiac Arrest and the Coordinated Effort That Saved a Woman’s Life

Twice in 12 years, Tammy Rasmussen's heart stopped. Twice, medical teams brought her back. Today, the 60-year-old shares her remarkable journey of survival, resilience and recovery.

In 2014, Tammy experienced her first cardiac arrest while seeking emergency care for shoulder pain that radiated down her arm. After being revived and transported to UnityPoint Health - Cedar Rapids, St. Luke's Hospital by LifeGuard Air Ambulance, she was diagnosed with Takotsubo Syndrome, a temporary weakening of the heart muscle. Following treatment and recovery, she resumed her normal activities while continuing cardiology follow-up.

For more than a decade she kept tabs on her heart health through regular appointments with her cardiologist, Todd Langager, MD, at St. Luke's Heart Care Clinic. Fast-forward to January 2026, and Tammy once again felt sick. This time, she was having trouble breathing and thought she might have pneumonia.

"I didn't know what it was," Tammy says. "I just knew something wasn't right. At night I couldn't sleep when lying flat."

Tammy went to the emergency room on a Saturday, and after having an EKG, was found to be in atrial fibrillation (Afib), an abnormal heart rhythm. She was given medication to lower her heart rate, and was instructed to talk to her cardiologist the following week.

Clinic Visit Becomes Medical Emergency

"I called Monday, and Dr. Langager was out of the office, but they didn't want me to wait," Tammy says. "They scheduled me to see Dr. Rasmussen."

When Tyler Rasmussen, MD, PhD, walked into the exam room, he immediately knew Tammy was sick. "Her body posture, labored breathing and everything about her was sending off alarms," Dr. Rasmussen says. "I arranged for her to go directly to the hospital so we could expedite treatment for her heart failure."

Tammy was admitted to St. Luke's Hospital but before a long-term treatment plan could be put in place, she suffered a second cardiac arrest when her heart developed a dangerous rhythm known as ventricular fibrillation. The hospital emergency response team successfully restored her heartbeat.

After resuscitation, they immediately recognized Tammy was in severe cardiogenic shock and she was taken to the cath lab. There, Antony Anandaraj, MD, placed an Impella, a temporary pump that helps the heart maintain circulation while it heals.

"We were fighting to give Tammy every chance to pull through," Dr. Anandaraj says. "The Impella supported her heart and stabilized her condition."

"Although the Impella provided critical support, Tammy's condition remained serious. "There was concern she would need a heart transplant," Dr. Rasmussen says. "Fortunately, her heart began to recover."

Multidisciplinary Team Delivers Life-Saving Care

Tammy remained on Impella support as her care team closely monitored her situation. Michele Tangeman, ARNP, Mohammad Alshami, MD, and Keith Kopec, MD worked together to manage her medications and guide treatment decisions. To help prevent another dangerous heart rhythm and maintain a safe heart rate, Talha Farid, MD, placed an external temporary pacemaker while her condition stabilized.

These efforts helped Tammy's heart improve, and she was successfully weaned from Impella support. Before returning home, Dr. Rasmussen implanted a dual-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which acts as a pacemaker and delivers a life-saving shock if needed. Later, Tammy returned to St. Luke's for an AFib ablation and has been free from arrhythmia since.

The complexity of Tammy's condition required expertise across several areas of cardiovascular medicine. As her needs changed, her treatment evolved from life-saving emergency care to heart failure management, rhythm stabilization and long-term protection.

Recognizing Symptoms and Seeking Expert Care Saves Lives

Today, Tammy continues to do well and completed cardiac rehabilitation after her procedures. She is grateful for the care she received.

"One of the things that stays with me is how many people prayed with us and prayed over me," Tammy says. "Dr. Anandaraj told me more than once, 'This is a God thing.' I truly believe there was something bigger at work throughout my journey."

"I feel incredibly blessed by all the team members who were there medically, making decisions and conscientiously moving me to the right next step," she says. "I feel like I have a responsibility to live after the miracle I was granted, and I've been committed to living a very grateful, active, joyful and mobile life. I'm filled with so much hope."

Looking back, Tammy believes listening to her body and seeking care when something didn't feel right, along with the coordinated expertise of St. Luke's critical care, cardiology, electrophysiology and heart failure teams, saved her life.

Find a Cardiologist