Heart rate and blood pressure changes are expected during cardiac rehab, too.

“The top number in a blood pressure reading is your systolic blood pressure. That’s when your heart is beating. It’s the pressure up against the arteries. We want that at 90 to 120,” Herman explains. “The lower number is when your heart is resting. It’s called diastole or diastolic. We want that at 60 to 80.

“If we see elevated blood pressure, we’re going to talk with the person about their salt intake, their diet overall and their exercise,” Herman adds. “If we continually see the blood pressure going higher, we’re going to communicate with the doctor. The doctor may need to add medication. And we want to make sure the person is compliant with the medication.”

If a person’s blood pressure is low, Herman says the care team will ask, among other things, if they’re drinking enough water and if they took too much of their blood pressure medication. Or, Herman says, the person might need to go off their medication.

Bob’s outlook

Weaver jokes that his diet consists of a lot of chicken and vegetables these days. But he’ll take it if it means a new lease on life.

“I sleep better. I can do activities longer before I get winded. Things like yard work or just walking. Minimal things you’d think anybody could do. But after a while, I got winded. Now it’s a lot easier to do it longer and faster,” Weaver says.

“You think about your family. You want to be around more than 62 years,” he adds. “I went to the gym on a lot of days right after work. They weren’t necessarily the same days I had rehab. So I was able to double up the workouts.”

He's telling others to stick with their recovery plan, research your family history and know the symptoms of a heart event. For Weaver, that was a father who had heart disease, coupled with his own chest pain and weakness back in October.

“Just keep at it. If I can do it, anybody can do it,” he says.

Learn more

Read more about keeping your heart healthy on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips - Bob Weaver

Interview clips - Tricia Herman

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“He wasn’t able to do this before,” Burk’s wife Gloria whispers as Michael walked unassisted into OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, Illinois, to talk about the most recent heart procedure that changed his life: a dual leadless pacemaker.

Old vs. new

Pacemakers work to pace a slow heartbeat, which left unchecked can cause fatigue, shortness of breath and fainting. A typical pacemaker includes the battery and circuitry in a device about the size of a Post-it note that’s implanted in the upper chest. Two wires – called leads – wind their way to the heart. One is typically in the right atrium, and the other ends in the right ventricle.

“That type of pacemaker works very well, but there are limitations,” says Michael Broman, PhD, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist at OSF Heart of Mary who performed Burk’s procedure. “You have a bump here [on the chest]. There’s a scar involved with having the battery placed. Having leads in veins can also cause problems. You can get vein obstructions. Infections can occur.”

Luckily, Dr. Broman says pacemaker technology is evolving yearly. Dual leadless pacemakers, using technology from Abbott, can be an answer to some of the challenges of a traditional pacemaker. It means another option for patients, too. In downstate Illinois, OSF Heart of Mary is the only hospital implanting dual leadless pacemakers outside of a medical trial.

“No battery in the chest. No scar on the chest,” Dr. Broman explains. “Instead, we deploy the system into the leg veins. We use a catheter to deliver very small batteries – about the size of pen caps. One of them sits inside the heart in the right ventricle. The other sits in the right atrium.”

“I was positive about it,” Burk says, recalling when Dr. Broman suggested he try this new option.

Dr. Broman says the devices last 15 to 20 years, longer than the traditional option (also called a transvenous pacemaker). Infection risk is lower, and the devices can communicate with each other within the person and an outside computer that programs the pacemakers.

“The top device says ‘I’m pacing now, and I want you to pace 30 or 40 milliseconds later’ or whatever the interval is,” Dr. Broman says. “They talk to each other and tell each other what to do.”

Dual leadless pacemaker patients typically have to spend the night in the hospital to allow things to heal. But afterward, they have less post-surgery restrictions. No running, jumping or heavy lifting for a couple days instead of weeks.

On the horizon

Dr. Broman says someone who simply has a slow heartbeat can be a candidate for a dual leadless pacemaker. If you have a slow heartbeat and your weak heart can’t pump blood properly, you’d likely need a traditional system.

Still, Dr. Broman recognizes that this is a major advancement in heart care. It’s technology he says electrophysiologists have been waiting for for decades.

“This is just the beginning,” he says. “We’re going to have more cardiac technologies that involve this type of wireless and small devices that fit inside the heart instead of big, bulky devices outside the heart. I’m very excited to see what the future brings.”

It's a problem worth solving, adds Dr. Broman, who notes he does at least two or three pacemaker procedures a week. Americans are living longer, exposing more of them to age-related heart disturbances. There’s not much to do about it aside from daily healthy habits. This leads to medical intervention.

Burk today

After taking part in cardiac rehabilitation at OSF Heart of Mary, Burk now continues his recovery at home.

“It cleared up my balance. I wouldn’t stand up and feel faint,” Burk says. “As it was explained to me, these pacemaker [devices] stimulated the bottom of my heart and increased oxygen flow. That makes me capable of walking a lot better. It’ll improve as time goes on.”

Burk worked for a quarter-century as a railroad car inspector before slowing down in retirement. What’s he looking forward to now with his new lease on life? Taking a train to Portland, Oregon, where he lived for a few years as a child.

“I’ll take what comes in life,” he says with a smile.

Learn more

Read more about keeping your heart healthy on the OSF HealthCare website.

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You see the phrase as you browse the grocery aisle: helps lower cholesterol.

But have you looked into what that means for you? And more importantly, is this something my children need to worry about?

The answer to the second question is yes, says Tricia Herman, a cardiac rehabilitation registered nurse at OSF HealthCare in Danville, Illinois. And it’s a perfect time to change lifestyles to avoid cholesterol problems as we enter a holiday eating season where you may be chowing down on unhealthy food.

What is cholesterol?

Herman says cholesterol is a fatty, waxy substance that’s responsible for building cells in our body. It also helps produce hormones and vitamin D.

“When we have our cholesterol checked, it’s not just total cholesterol that we’re really looking at. We’re looking at three different levels,” Herman says.

“The bad cholesterol is LDL [low-density lipoprotein]. You can consider it lousy. The good cholesterol is HDL [high-density lipoprotein]. And triglycerides is another level that we take a look at.”

LDL values should be less than 100 milligrams per deciliter. HDL should be greater than 60 milligrams per deciliter. And triglycerides should be less than 150 milligrams per deciliter.

Be proactive at all ages

The average person doesn’t need to memorize those numbers. Herman recommends that when you get your yearly physical, get a blood test to measure cholesterol as well. You’ll need to fast for 12 hours before the test, so Herman says to do it first thing in the morning if possible.

After the results come in, your health care provider will come up with a course of action, if necessary. That may involve follow up lab work or medicine.

What you should think about daily: a healthy lifestyle.

For kids, try for 60 minutes of exercise per day. That could be as simple as walking, Herman says.

And cut down on less healthy food choices like fried or fatty foods, sweets and red meat.

Or as Herman puts it: don’t brake and hit the drive thru because it’s the quick and easy option. Keep your foot on the gas.

“Eating habits are the hardest thing for a lot of people,” Herman says. “It’s the way we were brought up. What was served at our table when we were younger become habits we grow up with.”

Instead, try lean meats like fish or poultry. Bake, grill or broil your meat instead of frying it. Use whole grain bread instead of white bread.

“Create a meal plan for your child that has lots of fruits and vegetables,” Herman says. “Don’t have them eat on the go. Have them sit down and eat so it’s more meaningful and thoughtful.”

The consequences

High cholesterol leads to plaque building in arteries of the heart, brain or legs.

“You’re at risk for stroke if it’s happening in your brain or even in your carotid arteries [in your neck],” Herman says. “You’re at risk for heart disease if it’s happening in your heart. And peripheral artery disease if it happens in your legs.”

Herman notes that high cholesterol often doesn’t come with symptoms until it’s too late. So talk to your primary care provider if you have concerns.

Interview Clips

Previous coverage

What you can eat can help improve your cholesterol

The good and bad about cholesterol

Just call Steve Bugelli and Brad Zorns two peas in a pod.

The men walk in to OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville, Illinois, together and make a beeline for the cardiac rehabilitation gym.

After a vitals check, Zorns, of Oakwood, Illinois, hops on a treadmill. Bugelli, of nearby Westville, steps onto an elliptical.

“You good, Brad?” Bugelli asks.

“I’m ready,” Zorns replies.

Ninety minutes and a good sweat later, the strangers-turned-friends walk back out to their cars side-by-side.

Repeat the routine for the other four weekdays, and it’s easy to see why the men have made tremendous strides in recovering from serious cardiac events.

“It's made a difference,” Bugelli says, the conviction in his voice strong. “Right now, I can get up. Before, I was in the scooter. I couldn't get my groceries. I couldn't do anything. Now, I can. I can go in. I can walk.”

“Rehabilitation is great,” Bugelli continues. “The girls work with you. They work with you at your own pace. You're well-monitored. And it's really helped. It changes your lifestyle.”

Cardiac rehab is a typical, but important part of recovering from something like a heart attack, congestive heart failure, open heart surgery or other cardiac event, says Caitlin Hunt, an exercise physiologist at OSF Sacred Heart who helped start the hospital’s cardiac rehab program in 2020. Hunt and her colleagues Brittney Cromwell and Tricia Herman run the program today.

“My angels,” as Zorns refers to the women.

While we think about building up arm and leg muscles at the gym, your heart is a muscle too, and a pretty important one, Hunt says. She explains that cardiac rehab starts as inpatient phase one, when a patient is still in the hospital. It then progresses to outpatient phase two, where patients exercise two to three times per week over a couple months at the rehab gym. Then, patients “graduate” to phase three (also called maintenance program or community fitness). That’s where Bugelli and Zorns find themselves. There, patients chart their own course and come as they see fit.

“What we do is watch their heart rate and make sure it doesn't get up to a certain level for their age,” Hunt says.  “And then as they progress, we just make it a little tougher for them. Increase their speed or increase their [workout] level.”

Herman, a registered nurse, says OSF HealthCare Mission Partners (employees) also educate cardiac rehab patients on things that go along with working out, like nutrition and managing medication.

Herman adds that the mental health benefits mirror the physical ones. Look no further than the friendship of Bugelli and Zorns, who swapped phone numbers early on in their recovery journey.

“I tried to go to gyms before. You just go in there, and all they want is your money,” Zorns says. “They don't care what you do. I had trouble with my heart rate. They didn't monitor any of that stuff. I go and I'd feel worse after I'd come out.”

Not so at cardiac rehab through OSF HealthCare.

 “Some people may not be able to fully walk on a treadmill for 20 minutes where other people do,” Hunt says. “And then they say ‘well, they're doing that so I can do that too.’ They push each other to be better. They know ‘OK, well you're coming tomorrow. OK, I'll come too.’”

“They've already developed, sometimes, friendships in these classes. Or bonds. Because, ‘hey, I have this and you have this.’ They know about each other's families,” Herman says. “It feels so much easier to come into a community to do your fitness program and keep it up.”

Interview Clips - Steve Bugelli and Brad Zorns

Interview Clips - Caitlin Hunt

Interview Clips - Tricia Herman

B-Roll

To say time was of the essence for Tammi Fanson on July 18, 2022, would be an understatement.

The Gibson City, Illinois, woman had been dealing with high blood pressure, stress, fatigue and shortness of breath, but she chalked it up to life just being difficult. But on that day, she found herself at her local Gibson Area Hospital in the midst of a heart attack.

Fanson was then taken by ambulance to OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, Illinois – around 40 minutes on a regular drive but half that with the blaring red lights. That, combined with the cooperation between the two hospitals, and Fanson was fast-tracked straight to the cardiac catheterization laboratory at OSF Heart of Mary, something Tammi and her husband Doug say saved her life.

“They knew me,” Tammi Fanson says. “They knew exactly what was going on. There must have been a lot of communication even before I got there. So it was very comforting.”

“The comfort that she had knowing this crew was waiting for her, it’s pretty remarkable,” Doug Fanson adds.

Fanson’s case is an example of the importance of what’s known as door to balloon time. That measures the time between when a patient has first contact with a medical professional to when a balloon is placed in their heart’s arteries to get rid of blockages and resume blood flow. For Fanson, she had a balloon within 27 minutes of arriving at OSF Heart of Mary.

“Time is muscle here in the cath lab,” says Jo Lehigh, a registered nurse at OSF Heart of Mary who was on Fanson’s care team. “Every minute that goes by could be tissue death.”

That means Lehigh and other OSF caregivers in the cath lab have to be agile. For starters, they have a limited response time to get to the hospital once they get the page that a patient is inbound.

On the balloon process itself, Lehigh says physicians start by accessing an artery through a patient’s wrist or groin.

“We send in a catheter. We go up into the heart and we shoot in contrast dye. The contrast dye helps us to visualize the artery to see where the blockage is located and how severe it is,” Lehigh says. “And from there, the doctor goes in with a small balloon on the catheter and inflates the balloon. Then we'll go in with a stent and another balloon to open it up. So we have blood flow after it's all said and done.”

The Fansons praise Lehigh for the care Tammi received.

“She was our angel,” Doug Fanson says, the emotion in his voice strong.

Tammi Fanson recalls Lehigh at her side in the heat of the battle to save her life.

“I said, ‘Am I going to be OK?’” Fanson says. “And she was right there assuring me that everything was going to be OK.”

Lehigh followed up with Fanson, too, during her stay at OSF Heart of Mary.

“I do go down and check on the patients. I make sure they're doing OK and just kind of show my face because a lot of times they can remember my name and remember my voice, but they don't really remember me or what I looked like.” Lehigh says. “So I have to go down there and just kind of keep up on them and make sure they're doing OK. I think that builds a good relationship.”

Four heart stents later, Fanson is now recovering at home and is doing well. She’s enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation, a typical but vital part of the path back to normal. But most importantly of all, Fanson has a new lease on life. She appreciates the importance of diet, exercise, healthy blood pressure and knowing your family history of heart troubles. And she’s found ways to reduce stress, at least temporarily, like watching the sunrise with no distracting devices in sight.

“I could have easily went back to sleep that night,” Tammi Fanson says, recalling the evening that changed her life. “Don’t do that. Go in [to the hospital]. Get your regular checkups. And listen to your body.”

“Listen to [your health care providers]. Rely on them. Lean on them. They’re experts,” Doug Fanson says. “It helps you get through the traumatic times.”

Lehigh concurs with all those sentiments. She adds that if you find yourself in Fanson’s shoes – having sudden, significant symptoms of a heart attack – don’t drive yourself to the hospital. Call 
9-1-1.

“The ambulance is going to have everything there that you need,” Lehigh says. “They’re going to have the electrocardiogram, the aspirin. They’re going to have all the equipment and supplies they’d need to help make this a smooth and quicker process.”

Learn more about heart care on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview Clips - Tammi and Doug Fanson

B-Roll

Previous coverage

o   Heart Attack | OSF HealthCare

o   Don’t Ignore High Blood Pressure (osfhealthcare.org)

o   Young People and Heart Health (osfhealthcare.org)

o   American Heart Month: Top Takeaways (osfhealthcare.org)

o   Heart Attacks in Women: Recognizing Lesser-Known Symptoms (osfhealthcare.org)

o   Heartburn or Heart Attack (osfhealthcare.org)

o   Do You Know Your Heart Disease Risk? (osfhealthcare.org)

o   Cardiac Survivor: 'I Listened To My Body' (osfhealthcare.org)

o   Know the Signs of a Heart Attack (osfhealthcare.org)

o   The Danger of Peripheral Arterial Disease (osfhealthcare.org)