Congenital Heart Defect: Not long ago, open-heart surgery was required to close holes in the heart. Today, however, cardiologists can successfully repair some of these heart defects in the catheterization lab in just a couple of hours. On Tuesday, Aug. 8, from 5 to 6 p.m., watch a live Webcast about transcatheter repair of atrial septal defect (ASD), commonly referred to as a "hole in the heart.