Someone asked how many people die on aircraft. A fair number, we used to have a around 2 a week arrive at Heathrow dead.
Of those a number were suffering from a terminal illness anyway, and would have died no matter where they were. Of the rest, most were heart attacks, although DVT's probably accounted for a number too, but it wasn't something that was linked with air travel in the way it is now.
On the subject of CPR, and speaking as someone with a 100% fail rate when I've done it (tried 3, lost 3), on 2 of the occations I didn't have any form of mask, I used a tie. It wouldn't be perfect in preventing me getting anything, but better than nothing. On the other occation, I started with a tie, until another PC arrived with a mask, which I found useless. Probably because I wasn't using it properly, so it got chucked away very quick, not having the time to read the instructions. Back to the trusty tie.
The most disgusting thing I ever saw, was arriving at a call to male collapsed on a bus, airside at LHR, I found the bus full of passengers, all studying the wall, while one guy blew into the apparently lifeless body of a guy who'd collapsed. Those same people however all left when given the option to help or, well, shall we say told to get off the bus.
What I found out after the third failier, was that CPR doesn't often work. Strange no one ever tells you that on first aid courses.
The mask may have been a nice to have for the nureses, and was probably what they were used to having, it isn't nessesary, there are other things you can use. As for gloves, I really don't see wy they are needed.