Can a heart attack patient ever have sex again?
Yes. Sex is usually ok when a person can achieve 4-5 mets on a treadmill test without symptoms or other complications such as arrhythmia or significant ST changes (some people use ability to climb two flights of stairs without problems as their guideline for resuming sex). Usual heart rate with sex is 110-120 so when this heart rate can be achieved safely sex is usually ok. Interesting however is that the data on death and sex is from a study on business men who died suddenly – the study was from Japan. Additional circumstances included being with an unfamiliar partner, having eaten a large meal, having had an excess of alcohol and sex is added to this mix – not a generally good thing to do! It is appropriate to treat sex just like any other physical activity with the exception of adding the emotional environment to the mix! Really important is to also address the concerns of the “spouse or significant other” often the patient is ready to resume sex and the partner is scared to death!
