Scott Pham, MD, FACC is located at Sanford Heart Hospital in South Dakota.

Tell us about your medical background and how you came to work in the field of electrophysiology. What interested you about this field?

   I attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where I did all my training and practiced there for 4 years as a general internist. I decided to go back and get training in cardiology and electrophysiology because I was fascinated by the physiology of the heart. After my fellowship, I decided to move to the smaller community of Sioux Falls, which is the perfect setting for both my practice and my family. I have been with Sanford Health for the last 7 years.

Discuss your role as a cardiac electrophysiologist at Sanford Heart Hospital. What is a typical week like for you?

   As with any practice, I don't know if there is a typical week. I spend a lot of my time as an electrophysiologist seeing patients. I perform all of the EP studies, radiofrequency ablations, and management of device implants and explants. One of the things that I also enjoy is my role as Chief of Cardiology for the University of South Dakota Medical School and sharing my expertise with the next generation of physicians.

Describe the first laser lead extraction procedure at Sanford Heart Hospital. Why was lead extraction being performed in this patient? What laser lead extraction technology was used?

   The patient who had this procedure winters in Texas. He had a pacemaker implanted while in Texas a few years ago at a specialty heart hospital. While he was in Texas this winter, he began to have problems; the leads for the pacemaker were actually coming up through his skin. Ironically, when he returned to the specialty heart hospital, he was informed that they do not do the procedure he needed and instructed him to drive 5 hours to Austin. Instead, the patient put a bandage over the leads on his chest and drove to his home in Worthington, Minnesota, about an hour's drive from Sioux Falls where I practice. He called our office and I subsequently performed the lead extraction procedure, which was the first of this type in the state. During the procedure, a "cool" ultraviolet laser light is used to safely, effectively and efficiently dissolve scar tissue that binds the lead to the body. Once the scar tissue is dissolved, the lead can be safely removed.
   The patient was amazed that the procedure could be done in Sioux Falls. In the past, patients would be sent to Minneapolis or Mayo Clinic. This procedure is not a lucrative one for the physician as it can take hours to do, and reimbursement is low, as it is also low for the hospital. However, the procedure is done here because Sanford takes all patients and invests in cutting-edge technology to give patients the best possible treatment with- out regard for the amount of money they can make on the procedure.