atrial septal defect

noun

: a congenital defect in the interatrial septum of the heart

Surgery to repair a hole in the heart's upper pumping chambers, known as atrial septal defect, helps people live longer than treating the condition with medicine, a study found.

—Amanda Husted, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atrial septal defect accounts for about one third of the cases of congenital heart disease detected in adults. It occurs in women two to three times as often as in men.

—M. Elizabeth Brickner et al., The New England Journal of Medicine