Beijing doctor saves U.S. woman while touring San Diego's Sea World

Tang did chest compressions for a woman in San Diego's Sea World, California. (Photo/Beijing Youth Daily)

A Chinese doctor saved a collapsed American woman while touring the Sea World in San Diego, California last month, the U.S. theme park confirmed Wednesday. The noble act has gained tons of thumbs up in China's social media sphere.

The rescuer turned out to be Tang Ziren, a supervisor at the emergency department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital. Writing in his Sina Weibo account on March 21, China's equivalent to Twitter, Tang said he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a U.S. woman who collapsed around 10 meters away from him due to a sudden cardiac arrest.

"I continued chest compressions for about 10 minutes and successfully revived the patient after a rescue team arrived," Tang wrote. Since then the post was flooded by over 50,000 "likes" and more than 9,000 comments and reposts.

"He was nice. He has saved someone's life," said Lionel Thomas Jr, supervisor of customer service of the Sea World, who rushed to the scene at the time. He told Xinhua that the incident happened at around 1 p.m. on Feb. 22 and right over the Shipwreck Rapids of the park.

"The guest was in condition of low stroke. A gentleman came over and said 'I am doctor'. He assisted and so he gave CPR until our service assists came over and the fire department came," Thomas recalled.

"We have a lot of guests that like to have heart attacks or strokes, but not too many guests will jump in and like to help out," he said. "He definitely save the life."

Thomas added that the woman was with her husband and kids and the family was happy that Mr. Tang was there.

Less than 30 meters from where it happened that day, there is a first aid station and an Automated External Defibrillator rescue facility nearby.

"Right now it' s like 10,000 (people) in the park, but in the summer it can get to 50,000 per day," Thomas said. "All the management, we are all CPR certified in first-aid. It will take two to five minutes, and we have people walk around."

He confirmed that Mr. Tang had asked the woman's family for CPR permit. "You have to introduce yourself saying 'I am CPR certified, may I assist', only if the guy say 'yes' , you can do that, if they say no, you can' t do it there."

After the emergency service personnel took the woman into the ambulance, Thomas gave Mr. Tang a gift for his good doing. "I am from guest service, so I went to the front and got him a 'Dine With Shamu' (an-hour private buffet), and brought him over."

Sea World Communications Director David Koontz told Xinhua, "while we don' t discuss specific medical procedures related to guests of our park, I will confirm that on Feb. 22 a park visitor did lose consciousness and that nearby guests initially responded to assist."

"Our park medical personnel were on scene in less than 2 minutes, took over medical care and resuscitated the guest who was then transported to hospital," he said.