Nurse and Mother of Three Survives SCAD Heart Attack 

Layne Strookman is a wife, mother, and nurse practitioner from Kansas City, MO. At the age of 34, six weeks after giving birth to her third child, Layne experienced chest pain while dropping off her child at school. The school nurse took her blood pressure and when the reading came back abnormal, called an ambulance. Layne was transported to Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City where her medical team determined she was experiencing a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) heart attack. Once stabilized, she was discharged home with the prevailing thought her heart would heal with no long-term damage. However, 12 hours later, her chest pain returned and she was transported by ambulance back to Saint Luke’s Hospital. Once in the catheterization lab, Layne was in cardiogenic shock with a reduced ejection fraction of 15%, and her physician implanted the Impella CP^TM heart pump to allow her heart to rest. Dr. Jessica Heimes then performed an emergent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and implanted the Impella 5.5^TM heart pump to allow her heart to rest. Following the successful surgery, Layne was able to ambulate and walk the ICU floor under nursing supervision. Twelve days later, Impella 5.5 was weaned and removed, and shortly thereafter, she returned home to her family.

Today, Layne has returned to work full-time while enjoying spending time with her husband and three children.

As with any medical treatment, individual results may vary. There are potential risks, these risks need to be discussed with your doctor and recovery takes time. The success of this procedure depends on many factors, including your physical condition and your body’s ability to tolerate the procedure. Use care in the selection of your doctors and hospital, based on their skill and experience.