Sexual satisfaction among patients after coronary bypass surgery or percutaneous transluminal angioplasty: Eight-year follow-up

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases are currently the leading cause of death worldwide. In addition to risk factor prevention, the treatment interventions of coronary artery disease (CAD) include medication, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) with stenting, and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Patients with CAD have a more than twofold risk of sexual dysfunctions compared with age-matched healthy persons. The physiologic changes in sexual satisfaction, such as erectile dysfunctions in men and impaired sexual arousal in women, correlate with the severity of CAD. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe the long-term effects of treatment interventions on the sexual satisfaction of patients with CAD. METHODS: The original study series consisted of 280 patients with CAD who were followed up for 8 years. There were 189 men and 91 women. At the baseline of the study, 100 patients underwent CABG, 100 patients underwent PTCA, and 80 patients were prescribed medication. Eight years later, we were able to reach 63 patients who underwent CABG, 50 patients who underwent PTCA, and 34 patients who were prescribed medication. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test for testing group differences, and McNemar's test for dependent sample were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Sixty percent of the patients were satisfied with their sexual functions before the treatment interventions, and 63% were satisfied 8 years after the interventions; 52% of men and 77% of women were sexually satisfied before the interventions. Eight years later, 59% of men and 70% of women were satisfied with their sex life. In the CABG group, 57% of the patients were satisfied with their sexual functions preoperatively, whereas 62% were satisfied 8 years later. The corresponding results were 56% and 64% in the PTCA group and 73% and 62% in the medication group, respectively. Women were more satisfied with their sex life than men (P = .002) before the interventions. However, the satisfaction of women declined during the 8-year follow-up period, whereas that of men increased, but the change was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The findings provide new knowledge about the long-term impacts of treatment interventions on the sexual satisfaction of patients with CAD.