In an emergency, every second counts, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. No one knows that better than Dr. Alfred Danielian, a sports cardiologist in Las Vegas.
He’s the team cardiologist for the Raiders, the Golden Knights, Silver Knights, Aces, Aviators and the UNLV athletic department.
That’s in addition to his day job as the Director of Sports Cardiology and Echocardiography at Mountain View Hospital, with the Las Vegas Heart Associates.
And now, he’s going before lawmakers to advocate for the “Smart Heart Law” for all high schools in Nevada.
His message is simple. Sudden cardiac arrest is a real thing in young athletes, and more can be done to potentially save lives. Statistics show 1 in every 60,000 young athletes will suffer from it. And when it happens, the clock starts ticking.
“Within five minutes, there’s a 50% chance of survival if an AED is not used immediately,” Danielian said. “And unfortunately, within 10 minutes, as time passes without intervention, the chances are really close to zero.”
An AED is an Automated External Device that can shock the heart when it detects a life-threatening rhythm.
Currently, Nevada law requires high school coaches to be trained in both CPR and AED use. But Danielian says more needs to be done, and that’s the basis of the “Smart Heart Law.”
It would require AEDs to be on-site and readily accessible in all high school athletic venues, and for emergency action plans to be written out and put in place at every high school.
“I think it comes down to the simple fact that AED’s save lives. And when we use AED’s immediately with CPR, we can triple survival rates,” Danielian said.
‘Smart Heart Law’
On Feb. 20, he traveled to Carson City to advocate for the “Smart Heart Law” (aka BDR 1029) in front of legislators. The law is inspired by the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, which was formed after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered sudden cardiac arrest during a game in 2023. The group advocates for all 50 states to adopt evidence-based policies that will help prevent fatal outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest among high school athletes.
Assemblymember Hanadi Nadeem (D-Las Vegas) is the sponsor of BDR 1029.
High school athletes in Nevada undergo a 14-point screening process before they can take to their sport. Danielian said while these screenings are great, they aren’t perfect. And an athlete’s heart can be complex.
“Athletes actually have a unique set of electrical, structural, and functional changes that occur with long-standing, intense exercise training, which can at times overlap with what we call diseased entities,” Danielian said. “Our job as sports cardiologists is to really tease out these normal exercise induced cardiac remodeling changes that we seen in an athlete, from underlying pathology.”
Given that complexity, Danielian says it’s important for student-athletes to speak up if they feel anything may be off. And it’s something he hopes parents encourage.
“I think it’s important as parents to convey to their sons or daughters that if you have any symptoms whatsoever, be forthcoming,” he said.
And if the unthinkable happens, Danielian wants to make sure those closest to the athletes have the best chance possible to save their lives.
“You can never do harm by using an AED. But by not using an AED in a timely fashion, a life can be cost,” he said.
