Kit expirations, real knowledge only please.

[mycrofft]

I'm back at it again, making first aid its for a County department. I need any real life knowledge about expiration of some materials we want to stock, aiming for near-zero expiration kits to save money and time.

• 
  Benzalconium Chloride (Zephiran) pledgettes (wipes): I dont see expiration dates on them, have not found evidence they outdate.
  
  Chemical light sticks: I see "sell by" dates on some and not others. My experience is they stay useable for many years, if not permanently. Anyone have different experience?
  
  Chemical cold packs (ammonium nitrate and water/antifreeze): anyone have one fail to work due to expiration? I know the am-ni can get hard from consolidating, but if the water hits it, it still gets cold.
  
  Lastly, water or rinse. I'm telling the truck users to bring potable water and use it for rapid rinse, but is there something that lasts better longer than sterile water? (I assume normal saline will outdate, and in a basic elementary first aid layperson situtation water is better than nothing). Maybe the old "survivalist" canned water? I have some potable water pouches that have two or three year outdates.
  
  Your experience please.

 

[samiam]

ice packs

I have some ice packs that are at least ten years old and they still work.

The wipes will dryout after a year or so but some companies have really good seals like BD that last longer.

 

[abckidsmom]

My dept rotates out chemical light sticks for expiration (they have a listed expiration date, though...not a sell-by date). We bring them home and let the kids use them in teh yard. Haven't had any issues whatsoever with the expired ones, but we've never had them more than a few months out of date.

I find that cold packs tend to leak more when they are expired, and they don't last as long. The stuff in there is nasty tasting if you get it on fingers and in mouths (refer to kids in above paragraph) and it burns if it gets on broken skin. I toss them when the date comes, but we typically use them up.

The water is going to expire as soon as the plastic does, and I've not seen plastic dated more than a year or so out. I guess the pouches or cans are your best bet there, but I also use water up to a year past it's bottle's expiry date.

My .02.

 

[medic417]

Here is some longer lasting water.

http://preparedness.com/waterrations.html

 

[Scout]

• 
  (wipes):
  Chemical light sticks:
  Chemical cold packs
  Lastly, water or rinse.

I do not know that type of brand, but the old Alco wipes it was the glued seal that failed.
Light sticks, I'm going to say they might but I have opened them 5yr after exp data and they seemed as good as new.
Chem packs, the ingredients cannot exp, but the plastic bag holding the water may fail. ( I would assume this is be manufacturer Dependant.)
Water, I cant see how this would go bad, it would work for cleaning at least.

 

[bigbaldguy]

Benzalconium Chloride (Zephiran) pledgettes (wipes):

We used these on the aircraft at one time. Occasionally you get an old batch and they will all have dried up in the packets.

Chemical light sticks: I see "sell by" dates on some and not others. My experience is they stay useable for many years, if not permanently.

I have some in my "hurricane kit" that I put together about 3 years ago. I just cracked two and they aren't very bright, definitely not as bright as a new one. Guess it's time to buy some new ones.

I also bought an entire case of glow sticks at a gun show once that didn't light at all so I know they can get old.


No clue on the rest.

 

[samiam]

Glowsticks

Glowsticks usually won't last more then a year with max "glow". They consist of hydrogen peroxide and a pehnyl oxalate ester. Hydrogen Peroxide slowly decomposes to water as time goes by and after about a year there is not much left.

 

[mycrofft]

Thanks so far.

One challenge to a first aid kit system is suspense and rotation of materials that expire. (The others are preventing unauthorized alteration or theft, and buying reasonably priced good materials).

 

[Medic One]

This is a growing problem in EMS having items expire but there are reasons. Certain items deteriorate over time such as burn sheets, water, and even intubation tubes. The reason is the plastics degrade and get sticky, items become more prone to non-sterility, and for some items I just think it is the manufactures way to get us to buy more products.
I do suggest tho you replace expired items seeing that being a emergency responder you can be spot checked by your state office (equipment in service vehicle not personal car).
By having expired items you open you and service to problems.

Our service tells our vendors we will return and items purchased with exp dates less than 1.5years from out date of purchase. They sometimes will try and sneak items in the order that expire sooner than then. It took some treats to change vendors but we got our point across and now have a good set of gear nit due to expire for a while.

Work with your vendor to get items with extended dates or have them
Reduce the price for items that will expire sooner.

There are so items such as
Medications that are specific with dates and your stuck with those dates. Most vendors don't keep many Meds that will expire in a short time.


Michael - "Medic One"
FF/Paramedic, EMS-Instructor
Pace / Medical Car Driver Lime Rock Park

 

[exodus]

I've had several expired hotpacks fail on me. What our company does, the month *before* the med or supply expires, it gets put into a bin, and we donate them to mexican clinics in Tijuana.

 

[mycrofft]

Cute exodus. Thanks Medic One.

These are basic first aid kits I'm working with now (eight building and four or five vehicle kits) for animal control.

The system of BLS kits I managed for five years, plus four ACLS kits for four years, had as little expirables as we could get away with, but people want their antibiotic ointment, silvadine, peroxide, Telfa (TELFA!!:glare, etc. Sealing the kits and terrorizing people for messing with them helped.

 

[Bosco836]

• 
  Benzalconium Chloride (Zephiran) pledgettes (wipes): I dont see expiration dates on them, have not found evidence they outdate.
  
  

Our Benzalkonium Chloride pads, made by PDI, do have expiry dates printed along the seems of the package. As other posters have alluded to - regardless of whether or not yours expire, you should take care to ensure that they don't dry out.

Best,

 

[mycrofft]

thanks all

....................

 

[flnbar]

Working medical supplies in the Air Force, I deal with a lot of expired items. One item I have ran across a lot is the light sticks. All the ones we have purchashed and have expired have shown a great reduction it maximum light output and length of illumination. Will they work? Yes. Just not as well as intended.

 

[mycrofft]

Thanks again

Addendum: I recently had cause to use lightsticks bought at Dollar Tree in 2005. Worked perfectly. They were kept at room temp most of the time, but also in the trunk of my car for a year or so, including a couple very hot summers. I see that the best ones are the original yellow/green.

 

[abckidsmom]

Addendum: I recently had cause to use lightsticks bought at Dollar Tree in 2005. Worked perfectly. They were kept at room temp most of the time, but also in the trunk of my car for a year or so, including a couple very hot summers. I see that the best ones are the original yellow/green.

Yeah, those blue/whiteish ones are crap, and the pinks aren't too bright even when they're new.

I'll keep letting the department rotate out the expired ones, cause we love having a huge pile of glow sticks. Kids playing outside in the dark with glowsticks on are much easier to keep track of. We hang one on the front AND the back of the toddlers.

 

[mycrofft]

lightstick sidebar

After a succesful major eval exercise, I saw USAF PJ's cracking them open and setting the liquids off in their mouths after dark. Talk about "Hooah".

 

[abckidsmom]

After a succesful major eval exercise, I saw USAF PJ's cracking them open and setting the liquids off in their mouths after dark. Talk about "Hooah".

Imagine seeing your 2 yo come out of her room with that, screaming and drooling radioactive goo. Hooah wasn't quite what I was thinking when I was calling poison control.

The verdict: Non toxic.