Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

AsiaWire

This is the moment a heroic doctor risks contracting the deadly coronavirus when he removes his mask to perform CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a pensioner who has collapsed in a supermarket.

Luo Xianke, an accident and emergency medic with Yuzhou People’s Hospital, leapt to the aid of the patient in his 80s when he fainted in a supermarket in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province in Central.

The incident took place within the gated community known as Zhongding Garden on 24th February.

Footage taken by other shoppers shows the doctor kneeling on the floor next to the unconscious pensioner when the shopkeeper hands him his phone with emergency services on the other line.

Doctor Luo says into the phone: “I’m a doctor! A patient has stopped breathing and has no heartbeat.

“His pupils are dilated, and I’m trying to revive him. Send an ambulance now!”

The doctor then performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the elderly patient, and witnesses watch as the medic risks his own life by potentially exposing himself to COVID-19.

Doctor Luo recalled: “I was running errands in the management office of my residential district when someone from the local supermarket ran in saying a pensioner had collapsed.

“They asked the office to help find his family members. I identified myself as a doctor and ran over.

“The patient’s heart had stopped and he wasn’t breathing. His pupils were dilated and his lips were purple.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time. My experience told me there were no vital signs, so I needed to urgently resuscitate him.

“To be honest, I did hesitate [before performing mouth to mouth]. Of course, I had to think about it.

“But there are proper steps to take when saving a life. It’s an instinct; it’s my professional duty.

“I continued to assist after the paramedics arrived.

“I intubated him and performed some more CPR, then the patient’s pulse returned.

“His blood pressure normalised and he was taken to hospital. The resuscitation was very successful.

“My family didn’t know about it until they saw the video online!”

According to reports, the pensioner is in stable condition at a local hospital thanks to Doctor Luo’s life-saving actions.

However, the medic is expected to undergo a period of careful monitoring and isolation to ensure he has not contracted the coronavirus.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.