New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Pacemakers and the Implications of Hepatic Impairment

(1) Background: Atrial fibrillation (A Fib) is a common arrhythmia that affects millions of people worldwide and is characterized by irregular and often rapid heartbeats that can cause stroke. The aim of our study was to assess the importance of predictors for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients with cardiac pacemakers and to analyze their impact on these patients, especially the impact of hepatic impairment. (2) Methods: This study is an observational, retrospective study, including 182 patients who were implanted with a dual-chamber pacemaker (DDD), with no known history of A Fib. (3) Results: We identified as predictors for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients with cardiac pacemakers, DDD with rate response mode, NYHA class III of heart failure, as well as the presence of hepatic impairment (HI). Analysis of echocardiographic parameters of the left atrium revealed a larger left atrial volume as well as a larger left atrial area compared to patients who had a much smaller area at baseline and who did not experience any atrial fibrillation at follow-up. The fact that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of patients in terms of left atrial ejection fraction at baseline was very interesting. Patients in the A Fib group had a higher percentage of atrial pacing at the 9-month follow-up (86.23 ± 22.19%) compared to patients in the group without A Fib (44.92 ± 29.99%, p < 0.0001) and had a 9-month follow-up rate of A Fib of 25.806% vs. 2.247% in those with a low percentage of atrial pacing (p < 0.0001). The percentage of ventricular pacing at the 9-month follow-up, the observations were almost similar. (4) Conclusions: The importance of pacemakers in detecting subclinical episodes of atrial fibrillation remains crucial for the prevention of embolic events in these patients. Hepatic impairment may be a risk factor for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients with pacemakers, but it can also create significant problems in stroke prevention.