Why may I need a pacemaker for atrial fibrillation?

People with atrial fibrillation may need a pacemaker for a variety of reasons. These reasons include:

• You have atrial fibrillation that comes and goes. And you have a fast heart rate when you are in atrial fibrillation and a slow heart rate when you are not in atrial fibrillation. This is called tachy-brady syndrome.
• You had a catheter ablation procedure that destroyed the AV node in your heart. This AV node helps control your heart rate. A pacemaker is placed to control the heart rate.
• You have a problem with the natural pacemaker of the heart (AV or SA node).
• You take a medicine for atrial fibrillation that slows your heart rate too much.