Effect of Cardiac Rehabilitation on Sexual Satisfaction of Patients After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Providing sexual counseling in cardiac rehabilitation program can improve patients’ sexual satisfaction and performance after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery. Objective This study aims to determine the effect of cardiac rehabilitation on sexual satisfaction of patients after CABG surgery.

This descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional design was conducted on 108 patients with CABG surgery referred to cardiac rehabilitation centers in Rasht and Tehran, Iran in 2017-2018. A demographic form and Larsson’s sexual satisfaction questionnaire were used for data collection before and after 10 sessions of cardiac rehabilitation program. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS v. 18 software using paired t-test, Wilcoxon test, and ANCOVA considering a significance level at P<0.05.

 The mean age of participants was 58.60±6.37 years. Their sexual satisfaction score significantly increased after the intervention and there was a statistically significant difference in sexual satisfaction before and after the intervention (P<0.001). The pre-test and post-test sexual satisfaction scores had no significant relationship with age, gender, years of marriage, duration of heart disease, comorbidities, occupational status, educational level, and economic status (P>0.05).

 It is necessary to pay attention to the sexual satisfaction of patients after CABG surgery to improve their sexual function and quality of life by creating an opportunity for them to participate in postoperative cardiac rehabilitation programs.