Heart attacks during sex more likely to result in death due to embarrassment

Experts found that those who suffered cardiac arrests mid coitus waited twice as long for resuscitation

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Men are four times more likely to die from a heart attack if it occurs during sex because their naked partners are too embarrassed to call for help, new research has found.

Researchers discovered that only one in eight victims survived if they suffered a heart attack during love-making compared to half of other victims who went on to make a recovery.

Dr Ardalan Sharifzadehgan from European Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, France, who presented the findings, assessed records on 3,028 people who suffered cardiac arrest.

Of these, 246 had been doing physical activity when their heart stopped, 17 of which had been having sex.

They said the reason behind this was the time it takes for partners to call emergency services and start treatment as each minute it is delayed, survival chances are reduced by 10 per cent.

“Partners are shocked, they don’t know how to react,” Dr Sharifzadehgan said.

“The husband is naked, they are naked, maybe they’re afraid to call the neighbours. There’s big, big embarrassment.

Experts found that those who suffered cardiac arrests mid coitus waited twice as long for resuscitation and spent an average of 8.4 minutes without any assistance.

This compares to four in five people given immediate CPR if taken ill in other circumstances, who received help within 3.1 minutes.

“If there is a witness in the room it’s better for you, you have a bystander to give you CPR,” Dr Sharifzadehgan added.

“But sometimes we have a witness who doesn’t do anything. They don’t know how to do it or afraid to hurt the person.”

Around 30,000 Brits suffer cardiac arrest each year but medical experts say that there is no need to heart patients to avoid sex.

Instead, the British Heart Foundation suggests those who have had a heart attack or heart surgery can typically resume sexual activity within a matter of weeks.

However, they recommend avoiding too much alcohol and food beforehand and asking the other partner to take a more active role.