On July 17, an elderly male passenger suddenly collapsed on the busy Beijing Subway Line 4. In this critical moment, a man in black quickly knelt down to perform CPR. After 5 minutes of intensive rescue, with assistance from concerned passengers and subway staff, the elderly man gradually regained consciousness and was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital for further treatment. "How fortunate that a PUMCH doctor was nearby!" said the treating physician from Xuanwu Hospital of the Capital Medical University. The rescuer was Ruan Gechong, Secretary of the Communist Youth League at PUMCH and Associate Chief Physician in the Department of Gastroenterology.

During morning rush hour on Beijing Subway Line 4, a shout broke through the noise—"Help!" Ruan Gechong, who was on the subway, looked over and saw an elderly man lie unconscious on the floor. He immediately went over to check and found the man unresponsive, with no detectable carotid pulse. His years of clinical experience led him to a quick judgement: most likely a heart attack. The critical "golden four minutes" for resuscitation was now counting down, and any delay could be fatal.

Just then, the subway arrived at Caishikou Station and the doors slowly opened. Ruan acted quickly and, with help from other passengers, carried the elderly man onto the platform. He positioned the man for CPR and immediately began chest compressions. Two minutes later, someone brought an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). A female passenger stepped forward and said, "Let me help you!" They began taking turns performing the compressions.

Ruan later learned that this unexpected helper turned out to be a colleague—Cao Hairu, Associate Chief Nurse from the Department of Plastic Surgery, PUMCH.

Ruan saw ventricular fibrillation on the AED screen and immediately administered electrical defibrillation. Ruan and Cao then took turns performing chest compressions, delivering a total of two shocks over approximately 5 minutes of resuscitation. After the second shock, the elderly man finally regained consciousness. By this time, first aid personnel had arrived there. Their examination showed that although the man was weak, his heart rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure had all returned to normal levels. Since Ruan had left home early that morning, he figured there was still enough time for him to accompany the patient to hospital and then go to work himself. He explained this to his colleague and then rode along with the paramedics to Xuanwu Hospital.

At Xuanwu Hospital, Ruan provided detailed information about the patient's condition to the emergency medical staff. Seeing how well he knew the patient's condition and how he stayed by his side throughout, the medical team initially assumed he was a family member. Once he confirmed that the patient's pupillary light reflex had returned and he could lucidly state his own name, Ruan felt comfortable leaving for PUMCH's Xidan Campus. Although he was ten minutes late for his scheduled consultations, his patients expressed understanding after learning the reason.

Dr. Wang Zheng, Associate Chief Physician in Xuanwu Hospital's Emergency Department, recalled: "When the patient arrived, his vital signs were already stable, and his heartbeat and spontaneous circulation had resumed. The PUMCH doctor was very professional and thorough, staying with the patient the entire time." Dr. Wang Yanling, Chief Physician in Cardiology, noted: "The patient’s family was extremely grateful for the PUMCH doctor! His CPR was very successful and put the patient in a stable condition for us to continue treatment."

This heroic act on the subway was captured on video by a bystander and garnered over 10,000 likes within 24 hours. The person filming said: "This world is not indifferent—there are always people who reach out to help in times of crisis." Some patients recognized Ruan in the video: "Dr. Ruan treated my father, and my dad still goes to Dr. Ruan for checkups!" "He's really good at colonoscopies and can make even the most routine procedures less painful for patients." "Such a caring doctor! Great skills and a wonderful person! He really looks out for his patients!" These comments show why PUMCH doctors are ready to step up in critical moments—not only out of compassion, but also because of the professional expertise and commitment cultivated over years of practice.

At the intersection in front of PUMCH—affectionately dubbed the “safest in the universe”—and now on Subway Line 4, the same spirit shines through. PUMCH doctors traveling on the subway became rescuers, and Xuanwu hospital staff took over seamlessly—showing that for these medical professionals, their white coats may be off, but their healing mission never stops.

Written by Gan Dingzhu and Chen Xiao

Video by Sun Liang and Ye Xiaolin

Edited by Gan Dingzhu and Chen Xiao

Chief editor Duan Wenli

Supervised by Wu Peixin