"I had some sensations above my left side, some flashes," Bucey said. "I got in the car. I kept going straight. Apparently, I passed out. I was on the wrong side of the road and I hit a telephone poll."
Bucey suffered a stroke. Months later, doctors want to know what caused it. He was the first person in the United States to have a new tracking device implanted in his chest.
"I didn't realize I was the first," Bucey said.
"We're really doing this study to prevent the recurrence of stroke," said Dr. Mahmoud Houmsse, an electrophysiologist at The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Doctors implanted a monitoring device near Bucey's heart to alert them when it's speeding up or slowing down.
"It has a sensor, and it senses the heart rhythm and sends that wirelessly to base, collecting data, and also to hand-held devices," Dr. Houmsse said.
Learning what caused Bucey's stroke will help reduce the risk of suffering another one. For now, Bucey is watching his diet and cutting back on salt.
"In the last five weeks, I've lost 26 pounds," he said.
Taking his heart health into his own hands.
One of the leading causes of stroke is atrial fibrillation. That's when the heart speeds up or slows downs to the point where clots can form. This monitor has been very successful at detecting the ocndition and helping patients avoid a second stroke. There are no restrictions on how far a patient can travel with the device.
SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
USEFUL LINKS:
SEND TIP OR PHOTO || REPORT TYPO || GET WIDGET
EYEWITNESS TWITTER || FIND US ON FACEBOOK