Sinus node (SN) and atrioventricular node (AVN) function were evaluated in 49 patients with secundum type atrial septal defect (ASD). Automaticity and conduction system function were assessed by intracardiac recording of the AH and HV intervals at rest, corrected SN recovery time, sinoatrial conduction time, AVN refractory period and the ability of the AVN to conduct rapidly paced atrial beats to the ventricles. Electrophysiologic abnormalities were found in 41% of the 34 patients who were studied before surgery. However, no preoperative abnormalities were present in children younger than 2.5 years. If only children older than 2.5 years were analyzed, the incidence of conduction abnormalities was similar for the patients studied before operation (62%) and those studied after operation (71%). The size and ejection fractions of the right and left ventricles, the magnitude of shunt flow and the size of the ASD did not differ between the patients with and those without electrophysiologic abnormalities. AVN dysfunction was present in 40% of the patients who were studied after surgical repair. While this frequency was more than twice the preoperative incidence of AVN dysfunction, it was not statistically significant. The data suggest that patient age is the major factor that influences the presence of conduction system dysfunction in patients with ASD.