A Comparison of Surgical and Medical Therapy for Atrial Septal Defect in Adults

Abstract
The surgical closure of an atrial septal defect is frequently recommended for patients over 40 years of age. However, the prognosis for such patients with unrepaired defects is largely unknown, and the outcome for patients operated on after the fourth decade of life has not yet been compared with that for medically treated patients in a controlled follow-up study.