ANAHEIM, California, Nov. 12, 2017 -- Sexual activity is rarely associated with sudden cardiac arrest, a life-threatening malfunction of the heart's electrical system causing the heart to suddenly stop beating, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2017, a premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians. 
 
 To determine whether sexual activity might trigger sudden cardiac arrest, researchers examined records on 4,557 cases of cardiac arrest in adults between 2002 and 2015 in a community in the northwestern United States. 
 
 Researchers found: 
 
 Of the cases examined, 34 cardiac arrests occurred during or within one hour of sexual intercourse. 
 
 Compared with others who had sudden cardiac arrest, people with an arrest associated with sexual intercourse were more likely to be male (94 percent). 
 
 One in 100 cases of cardiac arrest in men was associated with sexual activity, compared with one in 1,000 cases in women. 
 
 Even though sudden cardiac arrest during sexual activity was witnessed by a partner, bystander CPR was performed in only one-third of the cases. 
 
 The presence of heart disease and the use of heart medications was common and similar in both groups. 
 
 These new data may help inform discussions between healthcare providers and patients on the safety of sexual activity. They also highlight the need to educate the public on the importance of bystander CPR for sudden cardiac arrest, irrespective of the circumstances, researchers said. 
 
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 The study was funded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grants to Dr Sumeet Chugh, the principal investigator. 
 
 Aapo Aro, M.D., first author, Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California. Sumeet Chugh, M.D., senior author, Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, California. 
 
 Presentation Location: Population Science Section, Science and Technology Hall 
 
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 Cardiac Arrest 
 
 Sex and Heart Disease 
 
 Partners of heart defibrillator patients concerned about resuming sex 
 
 Hands-Only CPR 
 
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 heart.org and strokeassociation.org ||||| Can having sex cause your heart to suddenly stop beating? A new study suggests that, although this can happen, it's very rare. 
 
 In the study, researchers analyzed information from more than 4,500 people who experienced sudden cardiac arrest, a condition in which the heart abruptly stops beating due to problems with the heart's electrical activity. 
 
 Among these cases, less than 1 percent of cardiac arrests occurred during or immediately after sexual activity, the study found. 
 
 The study is the first to examine sexual activity as a potential trigger for sudden cardiac arrest among the general population, the researchers said. The findings were presented today (Nov. 12) at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions meeting in Anaheim, California, and are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. [Top 10 Amazing Facts About Your Heart] 
 
 "While sudden cardiac arrest is a devastating condition with a high chance of death, the likelihood of this occurring during sexual activity … was extremely low," said Dr. Sumeet Chugh, medical director of the Heart Rhythm Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles and senior author of the study. 
 
 "This is a reassurance that can now be provided to heart disease patients, and will be based on actual data," Chugh told Live Science. 
 
 In the rare instances in which sex was linked with cardiac arrest, almost all of the cases — 94 percent — were in men, the study found: Among men, about 1 in 100 cases of cardiac arrest were linked with sex, compared with just 1 in 1,000 cases among women. 
 
 People who experienced a sudden cardiac arrest during sex tended to be slightly younger, around 60 years old on average, than those who had a sudden cardiac arrest at other times, who were around 65 years old on average. 
 
 But those who had a sudden cardiac arrest during sex were just as likely to have a heart condition or be on heart medication as those who had a sudden cardiac arrest at other times. 
 
 The study also found that, even though sudden cardiac arrest linked with sexual activity was usually witnessed by the person's partner, bystander CPR was performed in only one-third of cases. (Bystander CPR is CPR that is performed by a witness until an ambulance shows up.) These findings highlight the need to educate the public about the importance of CPR for sudden-cardiac-arrest patients, the researchers said. 
 
 "Multiple research studies have shown that CPR performed by bystanders … can improve the chances of survival from cardiac arrest," Chugh said. "It stands to reason that if CPR is learned [and] performed by all sexual partners, there is a good possibility of improving survival." 
 
 Original article on Live Science. ||||| Image copyright Getty Images 
 
 Sudden cardiac arrest is associated with sexual activity far more often in men than women, research suggests. 
 
 But sex is a rare trigger for sudden cardiac arrest. 
 
 Only 34 out of the 4,557 cardiac arrests examined occurred during or within one hour of sexual intercourse and 32 of those affected were men. 
 
 Sumeet Chugh, of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, said his study is the first to evaluate sexual activity as a potential trigger of cardiac arrest. 
 
 The research was presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association. 
 
 A cardiac arrest happens when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating. It causes someone to fall unconscious and stop breathing and unless treated with CPR, it is fatal. 
 
 This differs from a heart attack, where blood flow to the heart is blocked. 
 
 It is known that sexual activity can trigger heart attacks, but the link with cardiac arrest was previously unknown. 
 
 Cardiac arrest facts 
 
 Almost 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die 
 
 Every minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or defibrillation reduces someone's survival chances by 10% 
 
 CPR, especially if performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person's chance of survival 
 
 During CPR, you should push on the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. The beat of the Bees Gees' hit Stayin' Alive is a perfect match for this 
 
 Source: American Heart Association 
 
 Dr Chugh and his colleagues in California examined hospital records on cases of cardiac arrest in adults between 2002 and 2015 in Portland, Oregon. 
 
 Sexual activity was associated in fewer than 1% of the cases. The vast majority were male and were more likely to be middle-aged, African-American and have a history of cardiovascular disease. 
 
 The study also found CPR was performed in only one-third of the cases, despite them being witnessed by a partner. 
 
 Dr Chugh said: "These findings highlight the importance of continued efforts to educate the public on the importance of bystander CPR for sudden cardiac arrest, irrespective of the circumstance." 
 
 He said it shows the need for people to be educated about how to administer CPR. 
 
 Another study presented at the conference showed children as young as six can learn it. 
 
 After a heart attack or surgery, the British Heart Foundation suggests patients should typically wait four to six weeks before resuming sexual activity.
– Many men with heart disease fear that having sex could kill them, but new research shows the danger is slight. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute reported Sunday at an American Heart Association conference that only one in every 100 cases of sudden cardiac arrest in men occurred after sexual activity. But 94% of those victims had a history of heart disease, NBC News reports. The study, to be published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, was the first to look at whether sexual exertion can trigger a heart attack, notes Live Science. Fear of post-sex heart failure has been bolstered by plot lines on TV shows like Mad Men, but in reality, "the risk is very small," senior author Dr. Sumeet Chugh tells NBC. Chugh's team analyzed 4,557 cardiac arrests that occurred between 2002 and 2015, and found that 34 happened within one hour of sexual intercourse. Sudden cardiac arrest, which killed Tom Petty, takes place when an electrical impulse goes haywire and the heart stops beating. There are often no warning signs. Still, the danger is far greater for men: Only two of the heart attacks studied involved women. The majority of victims were middle-aged and African-American men, per the BBC. But CPR can make a life-or-death difference. CPR was performed in only one-third of cases studied, prompting Chugh to urge the "importance of (teaching) bystander CPR for sudden cardiac arrest, irrespective of the circumstance." Another study found that children as young as 6 can learn CPR, per the BBC. (A boy with an unusual condition went into cardiac arrest after biting into a hot dog.)