KOCAELI, Turkey, June 2 (UPI) -- Cardiac resynchronization therapy improves libido, erectile dysfunction and sexual performance among men with chronic heart failure, Turkish researchers say.
Study leader Ahmet Vural of Kocaeli University and colleagues said men who have experienced chronic heart failure -- complex clinical syndrome characterized by fatigue and exercise intolerance -- often experience decreased libido and erectile dysfunction. A type of pacemaker that paces the right and left ventricles, is used to treat patients with heart failure, Vural said.
The study involved 31 male patients with advanced heart failure who were scheduled for implantation of a chronic heart failure device. They were assessed before and six months after chronic heart failure.
After the six-month follow-up, 23 patients reported no erectile dysfunction, two patients reported moderate erectile dysfunction and no patient reported severe erectile dysfunction, Vural said.
Three of the men reported a normal libido prior to the procedure, but 25 men reported improvement, the study found.
"Not only does cardiac resynchronization therapy decrease mortality in heart failure patients, it also brings improvement in sexual health to the patient's life," Vural said in a statement.
The study was published in the journal Clinical Cardiology.
