Las Vegas Dealer Dies For 10 Minutes, Miraculously Defies Odds

A Las Vegas card dealer miraculously defied all medical odds after dying for 10 minutes, reported Fox 5 Vegas. The dealer suffered a heart attack and was dead for ten minutes. Thankfully, he was able to be revived by hospital staff.

49-year-old Thomas Kalmar has worked as a casino dealer for years at Aria Resort and Casino. He was working on his motorcycle on Valentine's Day when he collapsed and had a heart attack.

Kalmar explained, "I just lost my breath, hit the ground like a sack of potatoes." That's when his wife called 911 and he was transported to Sunrise Hospital.

Kalmar said, "I remember that I got assigned bed number eight in the ER, and that was the last think I actually remember... it was just a complete darkness."

Structural Heart Program Medical Director at Sunrise Hospital, Dr. Nayab Zafar, said that Kalmar suffered cardiac arrest, which is also called a "widowmaker."

Kalmar definitely beat the odds. According to Dr. Zafar, fewer than one in 10 people survive, if a heart attack happens outside a hospital, at a rate of 3%.

Dr. Zafar said, "Right in front of our eyes, he just flatlined. No pulse, no blood pressure, nothing, no signs of life." But Kalmar's team was confident they could revive him.

Dr. Zafar said, "We thought we could bring him back... we knew we could bring him back, we had that conviction."

Kalmar is grateful for the doctors and nurses that took care for him. "I appreciate all the effort and care that they put into saving my life," Kalmar said.