Sexual activity rarely triggers cardiac arrest, a new study finds. It appears that sex is linked to only 1 percent of all cardiac arrest cases.

Sex Linked To Only 1 Percent Of All Cardiac Arrest Cases

Researchers had examined cases of cardiac arrests that occurred in Portland, Oregon from 2002 to 2015. Results showed that only 34 out of around 4,550 of cardiac arrest cases in that area were linked to sexual activity.

Out of those cases, 18 happened during sexual intercourse while 15 occurred after intercourse. Also, only two cases involved women. This further showed that men are more likely to experience cardiac arrests from sex compared to women.

Overall, researchers found that sex was associated with only less than 1 percent of all cardiac arrest cases. They found that most of them were middle-aged African American men with a history of heart disease.

According to Dr. Sumeet Chugh of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, the research, which is expected to be published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, is the first to study sexual activity as a cause of cardiac arrest. 

Chugh said the study seeks to raise public awareness about the importance of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for sudden cardiac arrest, regardless of the situation. He added that people should learn how to perform CPR in case a sudden cardiac arrest occurs and, according to another study, children as young as sixth-graders can learn how to do it.

Cardiac Arrest And Heart Attack

There's a difference between a heart attack and a sudden cardiac arrest. A heart attack happens when blood flow to a section of the heart muscle is suddenly blocked.

A cardiac arrest, on the other hand, occurs when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating. A person who experiences a sudden cardiac arrest falls unconscious and stops breathing. The person may die if he or she does not receive a CPR treatment.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly 90 percent of people who suffer cardiac arrests out of the hospital die. A CPR can increase a person's chances of survival if it is performed within the first few minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest.

Women Who Suffer From Cardiac Arrest In Public Less Likely To Get Bystander CPR

In a recent research presented at the Heart Association Scientific Session on Nov. 12, researchers found that men are more likely to receive bystander CPR in public than women.

Forty-five percent of men who experienced cardiac arrests in public received bystander CPR and only 39 percent of the women received the same help. They also found that men had 23 percent better chances of survival than women after receiving CPR from a stranger in public.

The finding suggests that physical barriers may be causing people to feel uncomfortable about performing CPR to a woman whom they do not know. However, researchers say more work is still needed in order to find the cause.