A Chinese doctor on board an Air Canada flight has been hailed a hero after saving the life of a passenger who suffered from epilepsy mid-flight using only a spoon and a few toothpicks.

Dr. Tian Yu was one of the passengers of flight CA1478 bound for Urumqi in Xinjiang province from Kashgar on Sept. 23 when a fellow passenger was found unconscious and foaming at the mouth, according to the Stuff.nz.

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"It was a male passenger aged between 35 and 40," the Chinese doctor told Shanghai Daily. "He seemed dazed and was foaming at the mouth."

Tian, a 38-year-old medic from the rheumatology department of Shanghai's Longhua Hospital, responded scene when he heard an in-flight announcement calling for a doctor on board.

After inferring that the patient was suffering from epilepsy, Tian asked for a towel and a spoon from the flight attendants.

He reportedly used his fingers to remove the vomit from the patient's mouth to stop the passenger from choking. He then placed the spoon wrapped with the towel to prevent the patient from biting his own tongue, Daily Mail reported.

Tian, who has knowledge on traditional Chinese medicine, then used toothpicks to stimulate key acupuncture points, including the baihui aperture and sishencong aperture, the Telegraph noted.

"There was no needle available on the plane, and toothpicks were the best replacement I could find," he told Shanghai Daily.

After five minutes of stimulation, the patient was reported to have regained consciousness and was able to sit and ask for water.

After about 20 minutes, the plane successfully landed at the Urumqi Diwopu International Airport where the patient was picked up by the paramedic team for further treatment.

According to Express, stimulating the brain through applying pressure points is a known remedy for seizures in Chinese medicine. It is also believed that epileptic fits could occur by the pressure and oxygen changes on aircraft.

Tagsdoctor, Tian Yu, hero doctor, epilepsy, flight emergency, Air China, Air China doctor