The US Federal Aviation Authority has mandated that all commercial airlines operating within the US must have a defibrillator on board for passenger flights. What is cardiac arrest and why do some airlines carry AED defibrillators on planes?
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Most commercial airliners carry a basic first-aid kit, an emergency medical kit, and an automatic defibrillator. Extra oxygen (a limited quantity) is also available.
During in-flight cardiac arrest, the flight attendants are mainly responsible to immediately contact the ground staff and voluntary medical professionals on board; besides, they also have a right to perform CPR (4).
A normal approach and landing are not something as severe to put someone performing CPR at imminent risk of their own safety, so you keep going. Simply put, if you stop CPR the patient is going to die.
CPR certification is a vital skill for flight attendants. Not only is CPR training a great way to develop your skills and enhance your resume as a flight attendant, but it might also even be a job requirement for your airline. Many airlines conduct regular CPR drills and ask their crew to be CPR certified.
On most pressurized aircraft, if cabin pressurization is lost when the aircraft is flying at an altitude above 4,267 m (14,000 feet), compartments containing the oxygen masks will open automatically, either above or in front of the passenger and crew seats, and the oxygen masks will drop down in front of the passenger.
While it can transpire, it's unlikely there will be a qualified medical professional in the cabin. As a result, flight attendants are responsible for caring for sick or hurt passengers.
A doctor may not always be seated in the cabin on your flight, but most commercial airlines are aware that in-flight medical emergencies can happen (I've written about one or two such instances myself in my time at USA TODAY). Most carriers contract with on-the-ground experts in emergency medicine at altitude.
If adrenaline is available in the form an ampoule, a needle and syringe are required and flight crew rely on a doctor or nurse being on the flight (as passengers) to have it administered in an emergency.