Air carrier flight attendant reported the first aid equipment was defective when needed for an ill p...

Narrative:

Passenger passed out after standing to get something out of overhead bin. The passenger sitting across the aisle jumped in immediately and asked for our stethoscope/blood pressure kit. Unfortunately neither worked and he had to use the blood pressure cuff the passenger had with him. This isn't the first medical emergency I've had that the doctor has had this problem with our equipment. He also inquired why we don't have a cheap pulse-oximeter on board to check to see if the passenger is getting the correct amount of oxygen.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier Flight Attendant reported the first aid equipment was defective when needed for an ill passenger.

Narrative: Passenger passed out after standing to get something out of overhead bin. The passenger sitting across the aisle jumped in immediately and asked for our Stethoscope/blood pressure kit. Unfortunately neither worked and he had to use the blood pressure cuff the passenger had with him. This isn't the first medical emergency I've had that the Doctor has had this problem with our equipment. He also inquired why we don't have a cheap pulse-oximeter on board to check to see if the passenger is getting the correct amount of oxygen.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1606375
Time
Date	201812
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B737-700
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Flight Attendant (On Duty)
Qualification	Flight Attendant Current
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness

Air carrier flight attendant reported the first aid equipment was defective when needed for an ill passenger.