ABSTRACT
The management of atrial septal defects (ASDs) holds a special place in the history of congenital cardiac surgery and also serves as an example of current trends in treatment of congenital cardiac anomalies. Closure of a secundum ASD by Gibbon in 1952 was the first successful operation performed using cardiopulmonary bypass support. For many years ASD closure was the most frequently performed openheart operation in children in most centers. Since 2001, the widespread availability of catheter-delivered devices for ASD closure has resulted in the management of the majority of secundum ASDs completely avoiding the need for surgical incision and cardiopulmonary bypass.
