A temporary atrial defibrillation lead featuring a pad fashioned of a pliant biocompatible material in which three parallel stainless steel defibrillation wire electrodes are mounted. The pad contains holes which expose the electrode wires in a discontinuous fashion. The three electrode wires are merged into one polyurethane insulated lead body, proximal to the pad. At the proximal end of the lead body a stainless steel connector pin with break away needle is mounted, for percutaneous exteriorization of the lead pin, in an area separated from the surgical incision. The break away needle can be broken off to make the connector pin suitable to patient cable connection. The pad is permanently implanted on the atria and remains implanted after removal of the temporary electrode sections. The temporary electrode sections may be removed by gently pulling them at their proximal end. In a preferred embodiment the pad is fashioned of PTFE felt. In an alternate embodiment the pad is fashioned of collagen and is thereby absorbed by the body tissues over time.