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Preventing Tragedy: Cardiac Health and Smarter PPEs for Athletes with Dr. Viet Le
Episode 922nd December 2025 • The AT Last Podcast • AT LAST
00:00:00 01:04:51

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Cardiology researcher and clinician Dr. Viet Le joins us to talk about the pressing need for equitable access to heart health services. Drawing on his work with underserved communities, Le explains how systemic gaps in screening, prevention, and treatment contribute to disproportionate rates of cardiovascular disease among communities of color and low income populations.

We discuss culturally tailored approaches to cardiac screening, the role of trust in patient-provider relationships, and how simple interventions can make life-saving differences. Dr. Le also shares insights from his own journey as a first generation healthcare provider, highlighting the value of representation in medicine. This conversation is both a wake-up call and a roadmap for making heart health truly accessible to all.

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Artwork by Jason Eisenberg

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Music by Willie B the Ichiban Don

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Production / Engineering / Editing / by Gerson Sandoval

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Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vietheartpa/


References

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  2. Crawford MH. Screening athletes for heart disease. Heart. 2007 Jul;93(7):875-9. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2005.085365. PMID: 17569816; PMCID: PMC1994446.
  3. Prakash K, Swarnakari KM, Bai M, Manoharan MP, Raja R, Jamil A, Csendes D, Gutlapalli SD, Desai A, Desai DM, Hamid P. Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Athletes: A Primary Level of Prevention. Cureus. 2022 Oct 20;14(10):e30517. doi: 10.7759/cureus.30517. PMID: 36415444; PMCID: PMC9674198.
  4. Magee C, Kazman J, Haigney M, Oriscello R, DeZee KJ, Deuster P, Depenbrock P, O'Connor FG. Reliability and validity of clinician ECG interpretation for athletes. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2014 Jul;19(4):319-29. doi: 10.1111/anec.12138. Epub 2014 Feb 12. PMID: 24520825; PMCID: PMC6932271.
  5. Firoozi S, Sharma S, McKenna WJ. Risk of competitive sport in young athletes with heart disease. Heart. 2003 Jul;89(7):710-4. doi: 10.1136/heart.89.7.710. PMID: 12807837; PMCID: PMC1767726.
  6. Williams EA, Pelto HF, Toresdahl BG, et al. Performance of the american heart association (Aha) 14‐point evaluation versus electrocardiography for the cardiovascular screening of high school athletes: a prospective study. JAHA. 2019;8(14):e012235.
  7. MacLachlan H, Drezner JA. Cardiac evaluation of young athletes: Time for a risk-based approach? Clin Cardiol. 2020 Aug;43(8):906-914. doi: 10.1002/clc.23364. Epub 2020 Apr 3. PMID: 32242971; PMCID: PMC7403680.
  8. Pfister GC, Puffer JC, Maron BJ. Preparticipation cardiovascular screening for US collegiate student‐athletes. JAMA. 2000;283(12):1597‐1599.
  9. Blank ZJ, Spicer RL, Robinson JA. Preparticipation state cardiac screening forms for Athletes. Pediatrics. 2023;151(1):e2022056798
  10. Miliaresis C, Misra P, Friedman D, Altman R, Gewitz M. Increasing utilization of the preparticipation physical evaluation. Pediatrics. 2023;151(3):e2020049673
  11. Spencer R, Quraishi S. Athlete screening and sudden cardiac death. Pediatrics in Review. 2023;44(12):669-681.
  12. Drezner JA, Peterson DF, Siebert DM, et al. Survival after exercise-related sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes: can we do better? Sports Health. 2019;11(1):91–98


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