PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Changes in sex life are among the biggest complaints of heart patients, however many of those changes may be due to incorrect ideas about the dangers sex may pose to people with cardiac conditions.
To help patients be clear on what activity is safe for cardiac patients, researchers at the University of Rio Grande do Sul and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro devised an acronym -- KiTOMI -- coupled with a graph to match sexual activities to their safety based on levels of heart condition.
Previous studies have shown sex after a heart attack is safe, however misperceptions remain among patients and their partners about what sex acts could cause complications with a heart condition.
"Professional sexual activity advice should be offered similar to advice regarding the return to work and enrollment in an exercise program," said Claudio Gil S. Araújo, MD, PhD, of the Heart Institute Edson Saad, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, in a press release. "KiT activities should be a component of positive sexual behavior toward a healthier sexual life and should be recommended for virtually all heart patients regardless of sexual orientation. Often considered 'taboo,' an objective discussion of sexual behavior in heart disease has often been put aside. Healthcare providers must break this vicious cycle."
In the study, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, use the acronym KiTOMI as a guideline for sex acts: kissing (Ki), touching (T), oral sex (O), masturbation (M) and vaginal or anal intercourse (I).
Using a chart, the researchers lay out recommendations for patients in a low-risk group to engage in KiTOMI, intermediate risk patients are said to be safest with any of the acts except for intercourse (KiTOM), and high risk patients should not go beyond kissing and touching (KiT).
Noting that less than 2 percent of all exercise-related deaths are caused by sudden cardiac death, the researchers write in the study that sexual activity is considered among the most pleasant, rewarding and healthy forms of exercise and is tolerated well by stable heart patients.
In the comparison of sexual activity to exercise, researchers said patients generally are put on a program of progressively more heart-taxing movements of which sex also should be considered. They compare the effect of orgasm on the heart to a brisk walk, a level of exercise that patients would normally work their way up to as well.
"Our KiTOMI model will allow healthcare professionals to provide very simple and objective advice to their patients," Araújo said. "In almost every case some type of sexual activity would be permitted."
