The American Heart Association and 10 other leading health organizations say it’s time to start checking cholesterol sooner and treating it more aggressively. New, lower low density lipoprotein LDL cholesterol targets are aimed at preventing heart attacks and strokes before symptoms ever appear.

Jason Trager, DO, a cardiologist with OSF HealthCare, says people at risk of heart disease should start trying to lower their cholesterol as early as age 30 and continue into old age. They should also be getting their cholesterol levels lower than many doctors had previously recommended.

Some large clinical studies found that about 72% of high‑risk patients fail to reach guideline‑recommended LDL cholesterol levels, and many are either undertreated or not on medication at all. Recent guideline updates have significantly lowered cholesterol targets, especially for people with heart disease or multiple risk factors.

New LDL cholesterol goals based on risk level

Under the new recommendations, people who have already experienced a heart attack or have symptomatic coronary artery disease should aim for LDL levels below 55. People with underlying but less severe coronary disease or diabetes are encouraged to keep LDL below 70, while the general population should aim for levels under 100.

Dr. Trager says clinical studies show the benefits of lowering cholesterol levels for everyone.

“Lower is better as far as your bad cholesterol level, and it means that a lot of patients who were not taking cholesterol medicines should now be on cholesterol medicines. But the cost-benefit analysis is definitely there. Fortunately, with these new medications, people are living longer.”

Taking a pill every day to lower LDL cholesterol can reduce a person’s risk of heart attack or stroke by 20 to 30%, according to Dr. Trager, and by even more in people with multiple risk factors. He says the benefits are really significant.

New medications improve outcomes and reduce side effects

Advances in cholesterol‑lowering drugs, including combination therapies and injectable medications, have made cholesterol goals more achievable.

“In the past, we were not able to get to these targets without very high doses of medications. So now with some of these newer medications, we can get that. We can get these goals, and that really helps reduce future risk of heart attack and strokes, especially for somebody who already had an event.”

Newer options can also minimize side effects – an issue that often leads people to stop treatment.

High LDL is frequently described as a “silent risk” because people can live for decades without symptoms while damage accumulates inside their arteries. Dr. Trager says this delayed impact makes it harder to convince people to stay on medications. But he tries to help people understand by using an analogy.

“You’re going to replace that tire on your car or you’re going to wait until the big blow out … well, most people would rather replace the tire instead of getting into that big accident,” he explains. “It’s the same analogy. Where your heart is concerned, being proactive and being your own advocate can really reduce future heart attack and risk.”

Other testing to know your risk

Dr. Trager also points to coronary calcium scoring, a specialized CT scan that measures plaque buildup in the heart’s arteries, as a valuable screening tool. While not always covered by insurance, Dr. Trager says the scan can help doctors identify people who would benefit from more aggressive treatment before symptoms appear.

Dr. Trager also recommends that adults have their lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), measured at least once in their lifetime. High levels of this cholesterol-related particle, largely determined by genetics, are linked to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

Dr. Trager stresses the importance of diet and exercise. But for many high‑risk patients, he points out lifestyle changes alone are no longer enough to meet today’s lower cholesterol targets.

“Somebody’s not going to be able to reach those goals with diet and exercise unfortunately,” Dr. Trager shares. “You can go on a straight vegan-type diet and cut out the red meat. You can get the cholesterol level down, but you’re not going to reach those exact goals.”

Dr. Trager encourages people to talk with their medical providers if they struggle with cholesterol medications, rather than stopping treatment entirely. With multiple drug options now available, he says most people can find a regimen that works. He suggests that commitment to taking cholesterol-lowering medication can make the difference between preventing a heart attack and reacting to one.

As new evidence continues to shape clinical practice, Dr. Trager believes the message is clear: knowing your numbers, staying engaged in your care and treating cholesterol early can save lives.

Dr. Trager practices in Bloomington, Illinois but you can talk to your primary care provider to learn more. Don't have one? Here are options. 

Dr. Jason Trager

Despite years of public health efforts, most U.S. adults with high blood pressure are still not meeting current treatment targets, a gap that new national data continue to highlight.

Jason Trager, DO, a cardiologist with OSF HealthCare in Bloomington says the findings underscore why recent hypertension guideline changes were necessary and why controlling blood pressure remains one of the most effective ways to prevent serious cardiovascular events.

Under updated guidelines, the long-standing 140/90 mm Hg is now considered stage 2 hypertension, and a blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg is considered stage 1.

“Which is a fairly low goal yet, when you compare 130/80 to the 140/90 and you treat these people, it resulted in about 15% risk reduction in all-cause mortality. So again, there’s good data to back it up.” 

Dr. Trager says lowering the threshold for diagnosis of high blood pressure can make a difference in preventing heart attacks and strokes. However, in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2021-2023 data, 79.1% of adults with hypertension did not have their blood pressure within the 130 mm Hg systolic and 80 mm Hg diastolic threshold recommended by guidelines.

Trager said the reasons are complex and often overlapping.

“Well, it’s a little bit difficult to tell,” according to Dr. Trager. “And sometimes it could be access to the care where the patients aren’t getting in to see their primary care docs and doing the primary care prevention type of stuff. Sometimes it could be related to the cost of the medications that are required, or some people just have high blood pressure, but they don’t know it.” 

Lifestyle changes can make a big difference

He adds that lifestyle factors also play a major role in whether patients achieve control.

Smoking cessation, he emphasizes, could have the single greatest impact.

 “Quitting smoking decreases your risk of having heart attack and strokes by 50%. I mean, it’s almost better than any medication that I can give you, it’s just, it’s just not to smoke.” Dr. Trager adds, “The other thing we see a lot is sleep apnea and treatment of the sleep apnea – that can really reduce someone’s blood pressure significantly too.” 

For many patients with stage 1 hypertension, medication is not the first step. Instead, Trager believes in introducing lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce blood pressure.

“If someone decreases their salt intake, and there’s this DASH diet, we can see about a 10-point blood pressure reduction,” Dr. Trager says. “If someone starts exercising, we all see about a five-point reduction in blood pressure. If someone ends up losing, you know, just 10 pounds, you would also see about a five-to-10-point blood pressure reduction.” 

Even among patients taking medication, control remains elusive. Trager point out that half of people with high blood pressure are unaware they have it, and even among those treated, only about half reach current targets.

Check blood pressure regularly

“With these newer guidelines, about one in five people will be controlled,” he says. “So, in other words, come in, bring in your blood pressure cuff, see your primary (care provider), or see your cardiologist, because you will probably need to do some tweaking of the medications now.” 

Trager recommends taking a blood pressure reading once a week at home. And he stresses the importance of accurate blood pressure measurement, including proper cuff placement and body positioning. He suggests avoiding wrist cuts because he says they can be notoriously inaccurate. Also, make sure you are placing the cuff high enough on the arm – about where your heart is and ensure you don’t have arms or legs crossed and you’re in a relaxed state.

Because hypertension often causes no symptoms, regular monitoring is key. For patients with a history of cardiac disease, he says it’s really important to treat anyone close to the 130/80 range. Hypertension is often referred to as the “silent killer” because someone might not have any symptoms until it’s too late.

With a family history of cardiac disease, he also recommends getting a calcium score test or coronary artery calcium scan which is a non-invasive CT scan that detects calcium-containing plaque in the coronary arteries. It measures the risk of heart disease or future heart attacks. It takes 10–15 minutes, involves low radiation.

Here is more information about getting that test.

Video Clips of Dr. Jason Trager

On one hand, you're gaining an extra hour of sleep. On the flip side, the days get shorter and we say “hello darkness my old friend.”

In March 2023, health experts issued a wake-up call to Congress to make the change permanent.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) says public health and safety would benefit from eliminating Daylight Saving Time in favor of standard time. The AASM says the switch to permanent standard time would more closely align with the body’s internal clock – our circadian sleep-wake cycle – instead of disrupting the body’s natural rhythm.

There is also evidence that Daylight Saving Time can take a toll on your heart, specifically increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.

The AASM recommends getting at least seven hours of sleep before and after Daylight Saving Time begins while shifting your bedtime 15-20 minutes earlier each night before the change.

Dr. Frank Han is a cardiologist with OSF HealthCare who specializes in pediatric and adult congenital heart disease. He says poor sleeping habits can impact you negatively later in life.

“The act of waking up earlier without gradually changing your schedule can increase your stress hormones,” Dr. Han says. “If added on with unusual sleep schedules, night-shift work, then years down the road it can result in different kinds of cardiovascular diseases.”

Dr. Han adds it’s not just your sleeping habits that can put pressure on your heart. He recommends being aware of any hereditary heart issues that run in your family, and pay attention to lifestyle choices that can impact heart health.

“If that’s added on to less than optimal lifestyle habits, disturbed sleep schedule, disturbed circadian rhythm and other stressors in the lifestyle like tobacco. All of those factors added together can contribute to the hardening of the heart arteries and heart artery blockages as an adult,” Dr. Han says.

Video Interview Clips

Heart-wrenching data to consider for marijuana users was recently released in two separate studies.

In the journal JACC Advances, researchers found that cannabis users under 50 were in grave risk of severe cardiovascular events, even though these participants were relatively healthy individuals.

This is on par with what Michael Grzeskowiak, MD, a cardiologist with OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute, has seen in recent years. Dr. Grzeskowiak says he’s seen more young people having heart attacks.

"They found that those that use marijuana had a six-time increase of heart attack. They had a four-time increased risk of stroke, and in general, they had a three-time increased risk of dying from heart attack, stroke or any cardiovascular disease," Dr. Grzeskowiak says.

To add to the startling news, JAMA Cardiology released findings at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session that chronic marijuana smoking and THC-edible use is associated with endothelial dysfunction. This means the cells in the endothelium, the thin layer of cells inside our blood vessels, don’t work properly. In turn, this can block blood flow to your heart, causing a heart attack.

This meta-analysis took 12 previously published studies that collected data from over 75 million people, with an average age of 41.

Add inflammation from marijuana use to inflammation built up from ultra-processed foods, alcohol and a sedentary lifestyle; it’s a recipe for disaster.

"Inflammation, in general, in our current Western diet affects us a lot. A lot of the things I see in cardiology are due to that and if we fixed a lot of things in our diet and lifestyle, heart disease would go down," Dr. Grzeskowiak says. "Unfortunately, it's been the leading cause of death for 100 years."

Outside of work, more than 25% of the U.S. population live sedentary lifestyles, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Additionally, roughly half of the American diet is made up of ultra-processed foods.

This comes as 48 states plus Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, and 24 states allow cannabis for recreational use, and nearly 200 million people worldwide are regular marijuana users, according to a United Nations report in 2018.

"It's concerning. A lot of people have the perception that marijuana is safe. It's natural and it's being legalized in many states for either recreational or medicinal use," Dr. Grzeskowiak says. "The common perception is that marijuana is better than tobacco and alcohol and is safer. But more studies are coming out that are making us take a pause on that thought and show that maybe there are some risks involved."

With this clear data on the risks that marijuana use brings, it adds another important topic for doctors and patients to discuss. He encourages patients to be upfront and honest about their marijuana usage with their doctors.

For overall heart health, Dr. Grzeskowiak says it's important to make healthier choices in terms of diet, exercise and lifestyle. 

He calls sodas and most juices "liquid sugar," and says if you just cut out one drink a day, in one year you'll lose up to 12 pounds. 

Aside from commitments to 150 minutes of exercise per week (which is recommended by the American Heart Association), focus on the "little things." If you're on the second floor for work, take the stairs more often. 

To learn about the services offered at OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute, or to get in touch with the OSF cardiology team, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

Video Interview Clips

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Hello darkness, my old friend

Every year, about 350,000 people suffer sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) outside of a hospital setting with almost 90% of all cases being fatal. 

While there is an underlying belief that heart problems such as SCA tend to be more of a concern for men, that’s not the case. In fact, women make up almost 40% of SCA episodes. Just as women may experience different symptoms of heart disease than men, their risk of SCA is somewhat different too.  

According to Nancy Dagefoerde, an advanced practice registered nurse with OSF Cardiovascular Institute, SCA can happen to any adult 30 and older, depending on risk factors, family history and other issues such as a heart birth defect.  

Dagefoerde says SCA is different than a heart attack, which occurs when there is a blockage in a coronary artery on the outside of the heart. Many times, a heart attack is the cause for the sudden cardiac arrest.  

 “Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when there's an irregular heartbeat," she says. "We call it an arrhythmia that causes the heart not to beat or have electrical activity anymore. So in general, there'll be no breathing and no pulse when you come upon a person that's having a sudden cardiac arrest.”  

“The thing that may be different with women is oftentimes their symptoms are portrayed differently and they often can get missed," says Dagefoerde. "A woman may come to an emergency room or a health care provider and say ‘I'm more tired’ or ‘I'm more short of breath.’ It's not the typical elephant on my chest type of chest pain that a man may have. And so working them up for their symptoms, although they're more vague, is important to be preventive to catch these things early before there's damage.” 

Another reason why women are at a higher risk for SCA is because they are more likely to delay seeking care for their symptoms since women tend to prioritize the health of other family members first.   

“As all of us get older, the risk is higher for any of these conditions as far as heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure, so we need to be aware that maybe our numbers were okay, or we were doing pretty good when we were in our 20s and 30s," says Dagefoerde. "But as we age, we need those regular checkups and do that good preventive care, because things do change. And women are caring for husbands and parents, even children and grandchildren and they don't often take the time to care for themselves.” 

Symptoms of SCA include:  

·         Fainting  

·         Dizziness  

·         Racing or irregular heartbeat  

·         Chest pain  

·         Shortness of breath  

·         Nausea  

Risk factors for SCA include a previous heart attack, coronary artery disease, a prior episode of SCA, family history and personal or family history of abnormal heart rhythms, among others.  

Dagefoerde has a simple message for any patient who is experiencing any potential cardiac symptom.  

“This is another area that your health prevention will benefit you. So seeing your physician on a regular basis, having regular checkups, checking your labs, knowing your family history, knowing your own history, and doing all those things on a regular basis and don't ignore any symptoms that you may be having.”  

If you see someone drop to the ground and think it could be SCA, call 911 immediately. The faster CPR is started and defibrillation is administered, the better the chances of survival. 

For more information on cardiovascular health, visit OSF HealthCare.  

Interview Clips 

Según un estudio publicado en Journal Pediatrics, la obesidad precoz puede provocar problemas de salud física y mental a lo largo de toda la vida.

Según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), la obesidad infantil se ha más que triplicado desde los años setenta debido a una alimentación poco saludable y a la escasa actividad física. Este aumento debe servir también como recordatorio a los padres de realizar controles de colesterol a sus hijos. Los CDC recomiendan que los niños y los adolescentes se realicen un control del colesterol al menos una vez entre los 9 y los 11 años, y de nuevo entre los 17 y los 21 años.

¿Qué es el colesterol?

"El colesterol es una de las moléculas que, en cantidades limitadas, es esencial para que el cuerpo humano produzca células", explica el Dr. Frank Han, pediatra cardiólogo de OSF HealthCare. "En cantidades mayores a las necesarias, podría aumentar el riesgo futuro de enfermedad de las arterias coronarias o cardiopatía isquémica en niños y futuros adultos".

Comparación entre colesterol bueno y colesterol malo

"Existe cierta influencia de lo que comemos en nuestras cifras de colesterol", afirma el Dr. Han. "La idea general de lo que es colesterol bueno y colesterol malo es la siguiente: HDL se considera el colesterol bueno y LDL, el malo o no saludable. La idea general a la que podemos llegar es que hay que seguir una dieta sana para el corazón".

Una dieta sana para el corazón consiste en comer frutas y verduras variadas todos los días. Elija alimentos que contengan principalmente cereales integrales en lugar de refinados. Reduzca el consumo de alimentos ricos en grasas y procesados, y consuma más alimentos preparados por usted mismo y que contengan grasas más saludables.  Puede leer más sobre cómo mantener una dieta sana para el corazón aquí. 

El Grupo de Trabajo de Servicios Preventivos de Estados Unidos (USPSTF) publica directrices sobre el colesterol para la atención preventiva. Los resultados más recientes se publicaron en julio de 2023, y los anteriores, en 2016.

"Comentaron que necesitaban más investigaciones para determinar si los controles rutinarios del colesterol en niños aportan beneficios a largo plazo", afirma el Dr. Han.

Según las orientaciones del USPSTF, los controles de colesterol son beneficiosos para los niños que tienen otras afecciones médicas, como colesterol alto hereditario, señala el Dr. Han.

¿Cuándo es el momento de consultar a un cardiólogo acerca de su colesterol?

El Dr. Han comenta que el médico de cabecera deriva a los niños al cardiólogo.

"Cuando esos pacientes están en nuestro consultorio, nos aseguramos de que estén bien informados sobre lo que implica una dieta saludable y ejercicio", indica el Dr. Han. "Luego, si el niño lo necesita, con o sin la ayuda de nuestros colegas de la oficina de Healthy Kids University, o de un nutricionista, podemos trabajar para mejorar sus hábitos de estilo de vida".

Además de mantener una dieta sana para el corazón, el Dr. Han recomienda que los niños adopten el ejercicio físico como hábito diario con una actividad que les guste.

Vídeos de entrevistas

Con la vuelta a la escuela, los consultorios médicos se llenan de niños que necesitan chequeos, vacunas y, en algunos casos, chequeos cardíacos.  

Esto se da especialmente en el caso de los deportistas, según el Dr. Frank Han, pediatra cardiólogo de OSF HealthCare.  

"Cada vez que los estudiantes regresan a la escuela, es necesario realizar chequeos cardíacos para ayudar a detectar problemas cardíacos en los niños", afirma el Dr. Han.   

Los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud (NIH) efectuaron una evaluación de 10 años sobre la muerte súbita durante actividades deportivas.  El objetivo era caracterizar los datos demográficos y las causas de la muerte súbita cardíaca durante la práctica deportiva en Australia.  Se realizaron casi 20 000 autopsias entre 2006 y 2015.  La mayoría de las muertes fueron de adultos.  

Los resultados mostraron que la reducida cifra de niños que murieron por afecciones cardíacas eran arritmogénicos o presuntamente arritmogénicos, es decir, que producían o eran propensos a producir arritmia cardíaca.  O bien los niños padecían cardiomiopatías hereditarias, una enfermedad adquirida o hereditaria del músculo cardíaco.  

Por eso, el Dr. Han recomienda a los padres que hablen con los pediatras de sus hijos para asegurarse de que están al tanto de si sus hijos padecen alguna cardiopatía.  Si el pediatra intuye que el niño quizá tenga un problema, le recomendará que lo examine un cardiólogo para una evaluación más exhaustiva.  

"La evaluación general para empezar es un electrocardiograma en el consultorio de atención primaria.  Después de eso, junto con una revisión de los antecedentes familiares, se puede recomendar un ecocardiograma o una prueba de esfuerzo para determinar si hay algún problema en las válvulas cardíacas o si el músculo cardíaco es demasiado grueso", explica el Dr. Han.  "Uno de los principales fines de la prueba de esfuerzo es intentar simular el ejercicio más intenso que podría hacer esa persona.  Posteriormente, reuniremos toda la información en nuestra visita para averiguar si hay algún problema."   

Aunque puede ser difícil, sobre todo para los niños más pequeños, conocer los signos de una afección cardíaca, es importante prestar atención si creen que algo no es normal.   

"Pueden decir cosas como que les 'pita el pecho' o que les 'late con fuerza el pecho'. En el caso de los niños mayores, pueden dar descripciones muy variadas; por ejemplo, que les cuesta hacer ejercicio. Esto puede manifestarse como dolor de pecho, dificultad para respirar o fuertes palpitaciones, sobre todo al hacer ejercicio", explica el Dr. Han.  

El Dr. Han señala que no todas las cardiopatías se detectan cuando la persona es joven.   

"Algunas cardiopatías congénitas no se manifiestan de niño, como las cardiopatías genéticas, que pueden aparecer a una edad más avanzada", afirma.  "El electrocardiograma y la ecografía del corazón están diseñados para detectarlas si aparecen a una edad más avanzada".  

El Dr. Han agrega que es muy importante conocer los antecedentes médicos de la familia.  Si en su familia hay antecedentes de afecciones cardíacas, él recomienda hablar con su médico de cabecera y, en caso necesario, someterse a un chequeo cardiológico. 

Vídeos de entrevistas

Obesity early in life can lead to life-long physical and mental health challenges, according to a study in Journal Pediatrics.

This comes as childhood obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s, due to unhealthy eating and low amounts of physical activity, says the World Health Organization (WHO). This increase should also serve as a reminder for parents to get their children’s cholesterol checked. The CDC recommends children and adolescents should have their cholesterol checked at least once between ages nine and 11 and again between ages 17 and 21.

What is Cholesterol?

“Cholesterol is one of the molecules that, in limited quantities, is essential for the human body to make cells,” says Frank Han, MD, a pediatric cardiologist with OSF HealthCare. “In larger quantities it has the potential to increase the future risk of heart artery disease or coronary artery disease in kids and future adults.”

Healthy cholesterol vs. unhealthy cholesterol

“There is some influence on your cholesterol numbers from what you eat,” Dr. Han says. “The general idea of what’s healthy cholesterol and what’s bad cholesterol is: HDL is considered the healthy cholesterol and LDL is considered the unhealthy or bad cholesterol. The general idea that people can take home is to have a heart-healthy diet.”

A few things a heart-healthy diet consists of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Choose foods with mostly whole grains rather than refined grains. Cut back on high fat and processed foods and eat more foods you prepared yourself, and foods containing healthier fats.  You can read more about maintaining a heart-healthy diet here. 

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) releases cholesterol guidelines for preventive care. The most recent results were released in July 2023, and 2016 before that.

“They commented on how they need more research to determine if routine cholesterol screenings for kids derive benefits in the long-term,” Dr. Han says.

Guidance from the USPSTF has suggested cholesterol screenings are beneficial for kids who have other medical conditions like family-inherited high cholesterol, Dr. Han says.

When is it time to see a cardiologist about your cholesterol?

Dr. Han says kids are referred to cardiologists by their primary care provider.

“When we have those patients in our office, we’ll make sure they’re well-informed about what a healthy diet and exercise looks like,” Dr. Han says. “Then, should the child need it, with or without the assistance of our colleagues in the Healthy Kids University office, or a dietitian, we can work on improving their lifestyle habits.”

Along with maintaining a heart-healthy diet, Dr. Han recommends kids make physical activity a daily habit with an activity they enjoy.

Video Interview Clips

As children go back to school, doctors’ offices are filled with kids needing check-ups, immunizations, and in some cases, heart screenings.

This is particularly the case for athletes, according to Frank Han, MD, pediatric cardiologist with OSF HealthCare.

“Every time people go back to school, there is a need for heart screenings to help look for heart problems in children,” Dr. Han says.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted a 10-year review of sudden death during sporting activities. The objective was to characterize the demographics and causes of sudden cardiac death during sports played in Australia. Nearly 20,000 autopsies were conducted between 2006 and 2015. Most deaths were from adults.

The findings showed the small number of children who died from heart conditions either were arrhythmogenic or presumed arrhythmogenic, producing or tending to produce cardiac arrhythmia. Or the kids had inherited cardiomyopathies, an acquired or hereditary disease of the heart muscle.

That’s why Dr. Han recommends parents speak to their children’s pediatricians to make sure they’re aware if their child has a heart condition. If the pediatrician senses the child may have a problem, they’ll recommend they be seen by a cardiologist for further evaluation.

“The general screening to start off is an EKG in the primary care office. After that, along with an assessment of family history, that person may be referred for an echocardiogram or a stress test to see if there’s any issues in the heart valves, or if the heart muscle is too thick,” Dr. Han says. “One of the major uses of the exercise stress test is to try and simulate the hardest possible exercise that person might do. Then we will put all the information together in our visit to figure out if there is an issue.”

While it can be hard, especially for younger children, to know the signs of a heart condition, it’s important to listen if they think something feels unusual.

“They may say things like their chest is ‘beeping,’ or their chest is ‘pounding.’ In older children, they may give you a variety of descriptions, that there’s some difficulty with exercise. This can be chest pain, shortness of breath, or their heart is pounding, particularly when they exercise,” Dr. Han says.

Dr. Han says all heart conditions aren’t caught when the person is younger.

“Some heart conditions that you’re born with don’t really show up as a kid, like genetic conditions of the heart that may show up at a later age,” he says. “The electrocardiogram and ultrasound of the heart are designed to pick that up if it shows up later in age.”

Dr. Han adds it’s very important to know your family health history. If your family has a history of heart conditions, he recommends speaking with your primary care provider and potentially being screened by a cardiologist.

Spanish version here: 

Video Interview Clips

Starting this year, OSF began offering the Alterra Pre Stent to patients in Peoria. The FDA-approved valve consists of a catheter-based stent (called Alterra), an artificial heart valve (SAPIEN 3) and the opportunity to implant the stent and valve without the need for open-heart surgery.

Priti Patel, MD, is the director of the Pediatric and Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory for OSF HealthCare. She says this new technology will expand peoples’ lives and enhance their quality of life.

“The advantage of the procedure is that the patient is up and awake, walking around after six hours. They get to go home the next day,” Dr. Patel says. “With open-heart surgery, they are in the hospital for a longer period of time, and they have to recover from the sternotomy. Here, there is no recovery. There are no stitches in the groin, and they are going back to school or work the following day.”

The abovementioned sternotomy is a procedure where a surgical incision is made through the breastbone (sternum) to access the thoracic cavity for open-heart surgery.

“The goal is to prevent repeated open-heart surgeries. The more sternotomies and open-heart surgeries they have, the more risk they have each time. With this, you can prevent that from happening,” Dr. Patel adds. “You can do the procedure and see the results right away. The patients feel good when they wake up, because it is easy to breathe.”

Dr. Patel says the new pulmonary valve is supposed to last 10 years. This current pulmonary valve that is in place allows you to be ready for another less-invasive procedure when the time comes.

“Now when it’s needed, you can put multiple valves inside it. So, you can get these 40-50 years out without needing any open-heart surgeries,” Dr. Patel says.

Dr. Patel and her team administered four pulmonary valves in patients this spring, with two more procedures planned in August. These procedures happen at the OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois Congenital Heart Center located at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center. Dr. Patel says these patients come from all across the State of Illinois and can continue their health journey with their care team at OSF. They can perform the procedures on people of all ages.

If you or someone you know could benefit from speaking to a cardiologist, you can find more information here: https://www.osfhealthcare.org/childrens/services/heart/

Pulmonary Valve Photos

Video Interview Clips

B-Roll

Nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year.

Strokes can have life-altering consequences like vision, walking and swallowing difficulties. They also rank in the top five killers of Americans. For each minute a stroke goes untreated, the brain loses around 2 million cells it cannot recover.

“Getting to the hospital quickly – within four and a half hours of your onset of symptoms – is important,” says Leslie Ingold, a registered nurse and stroke coordinator with OSF HealthCare.

A cutting-edge stroke drug rolled out at OSF HealthCare is already turning the tide for people.

Tenecteplase (TNKase ®) can be used in people experiencing a stroke and who meet certain criteria, such as a specific blood pressure, history of brain bleeds, medications taken at home and how quickly they arrived at the emergency department. TNKase is a clot-busting agent that stands to become the gold standard of this type of care, Ingold says.

“It has a lower cost. It’s something providers can mix much, much quicker,” Ingold says. “And it’s given quickly in an IV push over five to 10 seconds, and we’re done.”

TNKase also does a better job than its predecessor at finding and breaking up clots, and there’s a lower risk of bleeding.

“The quicker we can get oxygen flowing back into that brain tissue, the better recovery the person is going to have,” Ingold says.

Why it’s important

The most common type of stroke, an ischemic stroke (also sometimes called an embolic stroke), is when a clot forms and travels to the brain. When watching for one, remember the acronym B.E.F.A.S.T.

• B is for balance: Watch for sudden loss of balance.
• E is for eyes: Check for vision loss or eyes looking askew.
• F is for face: Look for droopiness or an uneven smile.
• A is for arm: Is one arm weak or numb?
• S is for speech: Watch for slurred, slow speech or no speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence.
• T is for time. It’s the conclusion to the checklist. Time to call 9-1-1 if someone has these symptoms, even if they go away.

Another type of stroke, a hemorrhagic stroke, is when a blood vessel breaks and blood seeps into brain tissue. Ingold says hemorrhagic strokes are typically caused by a traumatic injury, like falling and hitting your head. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is also a cause.

For either type, when you arrive at the hospital, a provider will take some pictures of your brain and decide the best treatment option.

Prevention

Up to 80% of strokes are preventable, Ingold says. Prevention goes back to what any doctor will tell you is key for a healthy life: control your blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes through diet and exercise. Avoid tobacco, alcohol and drugs. If you have an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation, see your cardiologist regularly and follow their instructions. And get established with a primary care provider, too.

Ingold says a stroke takes 3.75 years off a person’s life, on average. And if you have a stroke, you have a 25% chance of having another one.

“We always tell people they really need to be on top of their treatment,” Ingold says. “The signs and symptoms of a possible second stroke may not be the same as the first. In fact, they could be completely different. It just depends on what part of the brain the stroke affects.”

Learn more

Read about stroke care on the OSF HealthCare website.

Previous coverage

OSF HealthCare Newsroom stroke stories
OSF HealthCare stroke blogs

Christina Reifsteck knows the statistics all too well.

Law enforcement officers may not live as long as people in other professions. The job requires you to be in a constant state of hypervigilance for up to a 12-hour shift. The resulting stress may lead to serious heart issues.

But Reifsteck, a sergeant with the Rantoul, Illinois, police department, her colleagues and OSF HealthCare are trying to change that.

Rantoul police have partnered with OSF HealthCare Occupational Health and OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute to have OSF provide heart screenings and the necessary follow-up appointments for officers.

“We wanted to make sure our officers have a better knowledge of what is going on inside their body,” Reifsteck says. “Sometimes you can’t see the problems.”

For Reifsteck, that need for knowledge played out on a gray February morning at OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, Illinois. With monitors attached to her body, she walked, then ran on a treadmill while OSF Mission Partners (employees) observed her heart rate on a screen. It’s known as a stress test.

“The treadmill started out slow, and every couple minutes it got faster, and the incline raised higher,” Reifsteck recalls. “You did feel like at the end you were getting a workout. But it felt fine.”

“With the stress test, we try to identify someone’s functional capacity and if they demonstrate any evidence of impairment of blood flow to the heart,” says Alaa Ujayli, MD, an interventional cardiologist at OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute in Urbana.

Down the hall, Reifsteck got pictures taken of her heart.

“We look at calcification of the coronary arteries, which is the beginning of plaque disease,” Dr. Ujayli says.

Reifsteck got reassuring news that her test results looked good. But a follow-up appointment with a cardiology provider was on her calendar for two days later.

“See where we are and if I need to make some lifestyle changes,” Reifsteck says. “First responders function better when they’re healthy.”

Dr. Ujayli agrees.

“Cardiovascular disease is a preventable illness,” he says. “If we establish preventive measures, we have a significant impact on the progression of the disease.”

Those measures include medication, talking with a dietitian to change eating habits, consistent exercise, better sleep habits and avoiding smoking and alcohol. Mental health care like meditation and visiting a counselor are also helpful for everyone, but especially first responders. More serious heart issues may require a procedure in the hospital.

Learn more about heart care on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips - Sgt. Christina Reifsteck

B-roll

At 94 years old, every day counts for Jim Bier.

The Champaign, Illinois, resident, U.S. Army veteran, and retired map-maker is able to manage things like visiting the store and strolling his backyard gardens – a space resembling the University of Illinois Japan House gardens, which Bier designed. It all comes with less chest pain and easier breathing thanks to a minimally-invasive heart procedure offered at OSF HealthCare.

“I’ve been at home, exercising, building up my legs, and I don't have the difficulties breathing like I did before all this happened back in the garden days,” Bier says. “And so I would say I'm in very good shape at this point.”

Bier pauses and adds with a chuckle, “From my waist up. I still have to work on my legs.”

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2011, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR for short, deals with a thickened aortic valve in the heart that can’t fully open. This reduces blood flow and could mean symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, and fatigue.

Tariq Enezate, MD, a cardiologist at OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute in Urbana, Illinois, explains that the TAVR procedure begins with making a small cut near the patient’s groin. The doctor then inserts a small catheter – “smaller than my little finger,” Dr. Enezate notes – and guides it up to the heart to insert a new valve. This is opposed to the more invasive open-heart surgery, which can lead to a longer and more painful recovery for the patient. Minimally-invasive surgeries like TAVR also avoid the need to stop the patient’s heart.

“Those patients are old. They have a lot of diseases. So, many of them, they are not good candidate for surgery. And the surgery team might think they might not be in good shape and strong enough to handle the stress of open heart surgery,” says Dr. Enezate of potential TAVR patients. “In those situations, TAVR is actually lifesaving.”

For Bier, the lifesaving series of events began on Christmas Eve of 2021. By then, Bier had been dealing with heart problems for nearly a decade and had used a blood thinner after open heart surgery didn’t yield the best results. But a visit to the emergency department that day turned into a week-long stay and the question: What more needed to be done? Eventually, Bier says doctors told him about one last surgery that was needed – “the big one,” as Bier puts it. He needed a new heart valve.

An avid reader, Bier researched the TAVR procedure to allay his concerns.

“I’m a person who goes with the flow,” Bier says. “You talk to any of the nurses who've dealt with me at the hospital. They're saying all the time, ‘Go with the flow.’ That's what I kept telling them all the time. And in that way I'm pretty optimistic about it.”

Still, Dr. Enezate recognizes that even minimally-invasive heart surgery may cause stress. He says the patient’s care team – everyone from the cardiologist to the anesthesia team – meets with the patient and their family several times before the procedure.

After TAVR patients go home, Dr. Enezate explains, they eventually will enter cardiac rehabilitation to rebuild the strength needed to do the everyday activities they love. Other appointments with a provider and medications like a blood thinner are also typical.

“We have a big team of doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, therapists, social workers, and so many people,” Dr. Enezate says. “Take care of the patient, take care of their family, answer their questions, get the tests, the procedures that they need. And after the procedure, we are on top of things.”

At OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, where TAVR recently launched, that team includes Dr. Enezate, Ashraf Al-Dadah, MD, Alaa Ujayli, MD, and Kelli Lamaster, the cardiac program coordinator. Each of them undertook years of schooling and training to be able to successfully oversee operations like TAVR.

“If you asked a cardiologist 10, 20 years ago and you tell them a patient with valve replacement can go home next day, they would think that you're crazy,” says Dr. Enezate. “But now, it is reality.”

Visit the OSF HealthCare TAVR website for more information and to find a provider near you.

Interview clips - Jim Bier

B-Roll

Previous TAVR stories from the OSF HealthCare Newsroom

Mick Jagger Recovering After TAVR Procedure - April 5, 2019

Forging the Path – TAVR for Congenital Heart - December 10, 2021

New Innovations are the Heartbeat of TAVR - November 3, 2022