An atrial septal defect is a commonly seen congenital heart defect of which secundum atrial septal defect is the most common. In a patient with evidence of right ventricular failure or significant shunt, operative repair is the treatment of choice to achieve hemodynamic stability. The use of a pericardial patch is required for the closure of large atrial septal defects. Case presentation: Here we present a case of a 50-year-old male who underwent surgical closure of secundum atrial septal defect who subsequently found to have part of the pericardial patch used for repair degraded in less than a month. Conclusion: There is a paucity of long-term outcomes data following the use of the CardioCel for septal defects, with no reports of such degradation within a month to the best of our knowledge. Further study is required to identify the incidence and implications of such findings.