It’s been two decades since the first-ever glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

For years, GLP-1s have been used to help those with diabetes. More recently, GLP-1 producers have begun marketing drugs like Ozempic®, Wegovy® (both semaglutide), Zepbound® or Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) for weight loss. Now heart health experts believe these medications can provide a robust benefit to heart health.

This comes as the American College of Cardiology® (ACC) released its five top trends in cardiovascular medicine in 2025, including “Anti-Obesity Drugs: Cardiovascular Benefit Beyond Weight Loss.”

The ACC reports that semaglutide and tirzepatide both “demonstrate remarkable cardiovascular benefits that extend beyond weight management.” Clinical trials show these medications can reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by up to 20% in patients with obesity and preexisting cardiovascular conditions.

Christopher Sparrow, MD, is an Advanced heart failure cardiologist with OSF HealthCare. He says he’s seen some remarkable benefits in many of his patients.

"The biggest thing I've seen in my practice is that patients who are obese can take these medications and have dramatic reductions in their weight, while doing it in a healthy fashion with a tolerable treatment," Dr. Sparrow says. "When these patients lose weight, they feel better, their blood pressure gets better, their cholesterol gets better, and their diabetes gets better if they have it. If they don't have it, their risk of getting diabetes goes down. Plus, their quality of life improves."

Dr. Sparrow is also the medical director of both the heart transplant program and adult heart unit at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Center in Peoria, Illinois. He describes how GLP-1 drugs promote heart health.

"These medications target GLP-1 receptors. These receptors are primarily in the gastrointestinal system, but they're also in the brain and small amounts in the heart. We're learning more and more that these drugs can have direct impacts on the heart," Dr. Sparrow says. "Particularly in small blood vessels that are prone to effects of inflammation and disease in patients with obesity."

GLP-1s are also referred to as incretin analogues. Incretins are substances that promote insulin release to lower blood sugars. They act in the brain to increase the feeling of satiety (not being hungry anymore), which stops overeating and excessive drinking. Dr. Sparrow says the health benefits are both in how the medications are formulated, and because patients are losing weight. 

“Recent evidence has shown that in the obese population with heart failure, these drugs improve quality of life and improve the ability for these patients to function. That can mean being able to walk further distances," Dr. Sparrow says. "They lower systemic inflammation levels and reduce the risk of worsening heart failure events. For us, this is a brand-new tool in our toolbox to benefit the quality of life in these patients."

While GLP-1s are being seen as the heart’s newest best friend, on the flip side, obesity is one of its worst enemies.

"It (obesity) promotes higher blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal lipids and we know it increases inflammation in the body, which has adverse effects throughout the body," Dr. Sparrow says. "Simply by reducing obesity, we think we're making a huge impact on future cardiovascular risk."

Dr. Sparrow says doctors have known for a long time that patients with diabetes who use these forms of medications have a reduced risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular causes like congestive heart failure. Now, that's expanding to patients who are obese or those with heart failure. 

Semaglutide and tirzepatide have been shown to have a better weight loss benefit compared to their GLP-1 predecessors, Dr. Sparrow says. Adding that these drugs can reduce cholesterol levels, improve hemoglobin A1C (a marker of diabetes), as well as lower blood pressure and markers of inflammation to a greater extent.

This treatment option can be used as primary and secondary prevention. That means people can take one of these drugs before anything like heart attack or stroke happens (primary), or after heart attack and stroke that could prevent another from happening (secondary). 

Patients with a body mass index (BMI) over 30, diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease are all patients that could benefit from this treatment, Dr. Sparrow says.

The struggle with getting these drugs to all the patients who want them comes down to two factors. 

1: Pharmacies can't stock enough to keep up with demand

2: Many insurance companies aren't covering these medications for weight loss

When it comes to obesity, Medicare recently announced it would cover these drugs for obese patients who have cardiovascular disease. It’s estimated this could impact roughly 3.4 million Americans.

Dr. Sparrow says it’s not surprising that over time researchers are finding health benefits for these drugs when it was previously meant for another purpose. He says it’s the natural order of scientific discovery that comes from a deeper understanding of these medications obtained through years of research and study. 

Video Interview Clips

OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center is now offering a cutting-edge, minimally invasive option called TriClip for patients suffering from tricuspid regurgitation.

Introducing TriClip

"We have a percutaneous (through the skin) option of fixing tricuspid regurgitation, leakiness of the tricuspid valve. That procedure is called TriClip," says Sudhir Mungee, MD, an interventional cardiologist and director of the structural heart division of OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute who along with Ashvarya Mangla, MD, and Marco Barzallo, MD, performs these procedures at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. "It is similar to MitraClip, but in the tricuspid valve position."

The heart is divided into four chambers: two upper chambers and two lower chambers.

Subsequently, the heart contains four valves: aortic, pulmonary, mitral and tricuspid. These valves can become narrow (stenosis) or leaky (regurgitation); either condition is detrimental to patients and can cause heart failure.

TriClip was started in early 2025 and adds on to the already robust structural heart program at OSF HealthCare. OSF launched a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program back in 2012, treating aortic valve disease (aortic stenosis). 

In 2021, OSF Saint Francis launched the MitraClip program. This is impactful when the mitral valve, located on the left side of the heart, gets leaky. Often seen in people with left-sided heart disease, kidney disease or a dilated heart, tricuspid regurgitation has been rarely alone treated surgically due to the risks involved. 

The TriClip program at OSF Saint Francis changes that. 

"Imagine there are three leaflets of a valve that need to come together and close the valve. If the leaflets are not coming together, there will be gaps left, which will cause leakiness of the blood in the lower right chamber, to the top right chamber," Dr. Mungee says. "TriClip is actually a clip that holds the leaflets together, so the leakiness can be reduced." 

Serious challenges of tricuspid regurgitation

Tricuspid regurgitation is not just uncomfortable – it’s dangerous.

"Leakiness of the tricuspid valve can lead to right-sided heart failure," Dr. Mungee says. "It weakens the right side of the heart muscle and causes patients to have fluids in the belly or swelling in the legs. It decreases the quality and quantity of life significantly."

TriClip has been proven to have better patient outcomes than medical management alone, Dr. Mungee says, thanks to previous clinical trials. 

A proven track record

Dr. Mungee further mentions that the structural heart team at OSF Saint Francis has performed nearly 2,000 TAVR procedures and at least 150 MitraClip procedures. OSF Saint Francis’ structural heart division also has expertise in performing these procedures in previously failed surgical valves and can perform the unique technique of carotid artery access when the leg arteries are too narrow. This poised the structural heart division to launch the TriClip program in spring 2025. OSF Saint Francis is one of the very few medical centers in Illinois to treat patients with tricuspid valve issues.

Imaging of these valves is done using transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) and intracardiac echocardiography (ICE), two different imaging procedures to get a better look at patients' hearts for successful outcomes.

To perform a TriClip procedure, Dr. Mungee says it takes a comprehensive team to make it happen. That includes cardiac imaging specialists, structural heart interventionalists, heart surgeons and the heart failure team at OSF Saint Francis. 

Three TriClip procedures have already been successfully performed at OSF Saint Francis so far. 

What to watch for

Dr. Mungee says the major health concerns for potential tricuspid valve patients would be swelling in the legs, buildup of fluid in the belly, or you have weakness and shortness of breath due to having a leaky valve. Start by making an appointment with your primary care provider (PCP) or cardiologist with such symptoms. It's important to specify which heart valve it is and then be referred to the structural heart team to evaluate the best options.

One of the most impressive aspects of the TriClip and similar procedures is the speed and ease of recovery.

"Most of our patients who get a new valve (TAVR), a MitraClip or a TriClip, come the day of the procedure, and the procedure lasts 1-3 hours. This is followed by a recovery period of 1-2 hours, and then they should be sitting and walking by the end of the day," Dr. Mungee says. “The next day, 98% to 99% of patients are discharged home with no skin cut. We put the sutures from the outside in, so it's like a pinhole in the groin that we put our instruments through and get the job done."

If you're diagnosed with a tight valve (valvular stenosis) or a leaky valve, you could then be referred to a structural interventionalist.

Dr. Mungee says the persistent work at OSF Saint Francis to put together the right teams has allowed for a robust heart program to flourish at the OSF Cardiovascular Institute and OSF Saint Francis. This has allowed a larger number of patients with more complex health issues to be able to receive world-class care in Peoria. Dedicated valve coordinators help patients all along the way; before, during and after procedures. 

"It takes a village to take care of patients with a lot of complexities," Dr. Mungee says. "This is why we are striving towards being a destination center, along with a center of excellence, for our valve patients."

To learn more about heart conditions treated at OSF, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

Video Interview Clips

Ron Carlson had been hampered by various health problems for several years.

The Rockford resident has lived with diabetes for 30 years. Nearly 20 years ago, Carlson had quadruple bypass surgery.

Then in 2022, the retired salesman developed a sore above his left ankle that wouldn’t go away. 

Carlson says it was a significant-sized wound. “When I first looked at it, my concern was, 'Hey, I'm not going to have a foot.' And they said, 'Yes, you will. And we can get through this, but it's going to take a while.' They were absolutely right.”

“They said it was an ulcer that had to heal from the inside. Well, never healed and never healed. Just kept getting worse,” he added. “And so finally, that's what eventually led me to Dr Cox.”

Samantha Cox, DO, is a vascular surgeon with OSF HealthCare, who determined that Carlson needed limb salvage surgery as part of his care plan.

Limb salvage is surgery to repair and restore a limb (arm, leg or foot) that’s diseased or injured. The surgery is an attempt to save a limb instead of opting for amputation.

“When it comes to limb salvage, he hits on all the pieces,” says Dr. Cox. “He's got arterial disease, he's got venous disease, he's got diabetes. He's had a long-standing wound; all those things play into it.”

Dr. Cox says it’s important to take a holistic view of limb salvage when attempting to improve someone's lower extremity vascular disease. Surgery is becoming more common around the world as the number of people with diabetes increases.

Complex case 

Carlson had an extremely complex issue. In addition to his leg wound, Carlson had peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition where the arteries narrow and reduce blood flow to the arms or legs and causes pain. PAD can be the result of high cholesterol or diabetes.

“We had to get his blood sugar under control; we had to optimize his nutrition; we had to get into the wound care center,” says Dr. Cox. “We had to fix his arterial disease; we had to fix and maintain his venous disease.”

Dr. Cox performed two surgeries on Carlson to repair the arterial and venous diseases. Then she fixed his wound before sending him to the wound care center for further treatment.

Feeling good again 

Carlson is happy to be back on his feet again.

With help from his wife, Carlson manages to care for his wound daily, including cleaning and changing the dressing. Carlson says his leg looks much better, and the circulation in his leg has improved.

And he has no restrictions. He’s watching his six grandkids play sports and other activities.

“I couldn't really travel anywhere to go see them, to a sporting event or anything like that,” Carlson says. “Just lately, I've been able to make that distance in traveling, for an hour or two hours, whatever it takes to get to where they're going. I can do that now.”

Many people experience leg pain or heaviness, especially as they get older. Dr. Cox says it’s important to have a conversation with your primary care provider to determine if you have a problem and the best way to approach treatment.  

“The sooner you seek help from a professional, the quicker you are going to be on the road to recovery,” says Dr. Cox. “These are very complex issues. We often say when it comes to limb salvage, it takes a village, and it truly takes a village of support for patients to get through these issues, whether it's management of arterial disease or venous disease, as in this patient's case. If it's a matter of wound care, we have resources to help people.”

For more information on vascular programs and services, visit the OSF Cardiovascular Institute website.

Dr. Samantha Cox Interview Clips

Ron Carlson Interview Clips 

B-Roll

Bronny James was gearing up last summer for his freshman year of basketball at the University of Southern California, when he received the scare of his life.

In July 2023, James, the son of NBA great LeBron James, suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed during a team workout. The younger James was hospitalized for three days and underwent a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect. James’ family and medical team praised the USC medical staff for their quick and effective response, which helped in preventing any brain or organ damage from a lack of oxygen.

James eventually returned to basketball activities. He saw his first action for USC in December and has played anywhere between 14 and 30 minutes a game without any issues.

February is American Heart Month – a time to bring to light conditions such as the one James experienced that may help other people going through similar circumstances.

Natasha Noel, MD, a pediatric cardiologist with OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute, says congenital heart defects, such as the one James had treated, are structural heart issues that typically develop during pregnancy and go undetected. She adds that 1% (40,000) of all babies are born with a heart defect every year in the U.S.

“We do see that if there is a family history of congenital heart disease, either parent or sibling, the next child could be more at risk for congenital heart defects,” Dr. Noel says. “And then other conditions, for example, smoking during pregnancy, maternal diabetes or use of other medications during pregnancy can lead to congenital heart defects.”

While James has recovered from his heart scare, there have been other athletes who weren’t so fortunate. In 1990, Hank Gathers, a college player for Loyola Marymount University, collapsed on the court and died from of sudden cardiac arrest. Three years later, the same happened to Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics, who died during a game when his heart went into cardiac arrest.

James isn’t even the first player to have experienced cardiac arrest at USC. Teammate Vince Iwuchukwu collapsed during a team practice in 2022 and survived.

“During periods of intense activity, the body has a physiological response,” Dr. Noel explains. “This can include dehydration, a surge of adrenaline, electrolyte imbalance, and this may not be well tolerated in athletes, who have some underlying electrical or structural abnormality.”

Treatment depends on the patient and the heart defect. According to the American Heart Association, many young adults who have a minor cardiac defect, and have had a good result after surgery, can participate in most activities. Some participants could have restrictions including those with pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) or those who are taking anticoagulants to decrease blood clotting. Dr. Noel says to always check with your physician before taking on any physical activity or sports participation.

“The athlete should go through a pre-participation physical, this would include medical history, physical exam, and the American Heart Association says it’s important to look at personal and family history,” she says. “If there is something suspicious in any of these things, the pediatrician can refer to a pediatric cardiologist or they could start the work themselves, which would include ordering an EKG or echocardiogram for an example.” Genetic testing might be necessary, especially if there is a family history.

Dr. Noel says that thanks to advances, medical experts have a better understanding of congenital heart defects. Not every athlete needs to give up participation – even if they have experienced a previous issue. She also stresses the importance of learning CPR and working with schools and coaches to always have an automated external defibrillator (AED) available.

“I want to encourage kids to continue going out and having fun – sports is healthy and it's exercise,” she emphasizes. “It doesn't mean that it's the end of the world if you are diagnosed with something that needs to be treated from a cardiac standpoint.”

For more information about pediatric cardiology issues, visit OSF HealthCare. 

 

Interview Clips 

B-Roll

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

The Great American Smokeout rolls around every year during the third week of November and it has helped millions of people quit since it started in the early 1970s. The idea is not necessarily to make people stop cold turkey on that day, but rather to have tobacco users begin to think about quitting or to start the process if they plan to make it their quit date.

The campaign is important because according to the American Cancer Society, smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths every year, or about one in five deaths. More than 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease.

Dr. Jesse VanLe, a cardiothoracic surgeon for OSF Cardiovascular Institute in Bloomington, Illinois, is a strong supporter of the Great American Smokeout, which will be Thursday, November 18.

Smoking harms almost every tissue and organ in the body, including your heart and blood vessels. Nicotine, one of the main chemicals in cigarettes, causes your heart to beat faster and your blood pressure to rise. Carbon monoxide from smoking also gets into the blood and robs your body of oxygen.

According to Dr. VanLe, those who smoke have good reason to worry about its effect on their health.

“The World Health Organization has estimated that the number of cardiovascular associated events is approximately 17 to 18 million per year attributed to smoking,” he says. “A person who is 40 years old who smokes, they'll have approximately nine years taken off their life by the time they reach 60 to 70. Nine years, which is a lot.”

Despite the data, quitting isn’t easy for most smokers. According to research offered by the Illinois Quitline, it can take the average person five to seven times before they quit for good. Dr. VanLe says it is important not to get discouraged, and suggests surrounding yourself with supportive family and friends and changing habits that can trigger the urge to smoke.

“The population that has the most success would be the one not exposing themselves to the advertisements: other people who smoke for example, not visiting the bar anymore, or they have a very strong family system that helps them out and encourages them to quit. At first it is very difficult, but if you can do it after six months, with strong family support, and change the environment, then you'll be more successful,” says Dr. VanLe.

Over time people who quit smoking see many benefits to their health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some benefits of quitting even start immediately after that last cigarette. Within minutes a person’s heart rate will drop, in 24 hours the nicotine level in the blood drops to zero, and in a matter of days the carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to a level of someone who does not smoke.

“Some process takes longer than others but we know the chemicals and everything can be reversed within five years. And that's a tremendous amount of reversal in terms of coronary occlusive disease that you can do. So let's start from day one. You can measure the difference,” encourages Dr. VanLe.

Here are some good guidelines for what kind of nicotine replacement therapy you might want to try to address the physical addiction. Along with counseling, the Illinois Tobacco Quitline offers up to six weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to enrolled clients who qualify.

As for using e-cigarettes to quit smoking, Dr. VanLe says there isn’t enough research to know the long-term, potential harmful impact. He also points out the Federal Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved the devices as a smoking cessation tool because of the lack of research connected with their use.

The Illinois Tobacco Quitline is 1-866-QUIT-YES. It can offer a variety of support and helpful tools. You can also find an OSF HealthCare behavioral therapist or doctor who can help you quit smoking or end smokeless tobacco use.

Interview Clips - Dr. Jesse VanLe

B-Roll - Smoking

Medical technology is constantly evolving and improving. Over the past decade, one of the most notable innovations in interventional cardiology and structural heart procedures has been the emergence of transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR. 

TAVR allows patients suffering from aortic stenosis (narrowing of the aortic valve opening) to receive a new aortic heart valve, typically without a surgical incision. This is a repair that previously required an open heart procedure, and wasn’t even an option for some patients who were considered too sick for major surgery.

 Now these patients are getting the valves they need through TAVR. The procedure delivers a balloon expandable aortic heart valve via catheter, replacing the diseased valve while the heart continues to beat – avoiding the need to stop the patient’s heart.

 OSF HealthCare offers TAVR at three of its Illinois facilities: in Peoria at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, in Rockford at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, and most recently in Urbana at OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center.

 The OSF Cardiovascular Institute TAVR team in Peoria has been offering the procedure for ten years now, and has adapted new innovations along the way. The most recent is a new version of the heart valve implant that early studies show better resists calcification and valve deterioration post-implant. Dr. Sudhir Mungee is the director of the structural heart program for OSF HealthCare.

 “This new technology was FDA approved in September and sure enough, we were the first, not only the state of Illinois, but I think Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, in this entire region, we were the first to adapt this technology. We treated our patients since then, and every patient now of ours is getting the most advanced TAVR valve,” says Dr. Mungee.

While the new valve, called the SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA Transcatheter Heart Valve, is currently only available at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Dr. Mungee is confident the TAVR teams at OSF Saint Anthony and OSF Heart of Mary will soon adapt the technology as well.

 What makes this valve different is a new anti-calcification tissue treatment that, according to the manufacturer, prevents structural valve deterioration at five years post-implant. This provides the potential to extend the durability of the valve. Dr. Mungee says he is optimistic this new technology will be a great benefit for patients, and looks forward to watching the progress of his patients.

 “We'll have to wait for the five year data, the 10 year data, but I think as an operator, or as a consultant when we talk to the patients, we will be a little bit more confident to tell them that there is a likelihood that this valve is going to last even longer than the predecessors,” he says.

 The less invasive TAVR procedure also comes with a quick recovery time. Most patients will leave the hospital in an average of four days, and can resume all normal activities within 10 days of the procedure. In comparison, traditional open chest surgery patients need up to seven days of hospitalization and six weeks of rehabilitation.

 Dr. Mungee says the faster recovery and immediate improvement of a patient’s quality of life is nothing short of miraculous, as he reflects on the past decade of TAVR innovations.

 “We used to be 20 people in the operating room and did two valves in a day,” he recalls. Now we do about six valves in a single day with four people in the room. Most patients go home the next day. The procedure, which used to be general anesthesia, now is done under local anesthesia. Patients can be talking to us while they're getting their heart valve replaced.”

 To learn more about TAVR, or to see if you are a TAVR candidate, visit OSF HealthCare's TAVR information page here.

Interview Clips - Dr. Sudhir Mungee

B-Roll - Dr. Sudhir Mungee