IFAK Component Expiration Dates?

[Armati]

So I am repacking my personal IFAK and I notice that many of the items have expiration dates. So, I am wondering just what goes bad on things like a pressure dressing or chest seal? Old school USGI pressure dressings do not seem to have expiration dates but the Israeli dressing does. Some Kerlex type material has an expiration but others manufactures do not. Chitosan - does expired Chitosan still work? Is it safe? What else should one look for?

[MIKE G]

Most items that the FDA regulate are required to have an expiration date. The expiration dates are pretty conservative in regards to actual life spans when stored correctly. An item stored in a 50-60 degree closet with low humidity and no light will outlast the expiration date 5-10 fold (10-20 years). Store your stuff in an area that has high humidity, full sunlight exposure, and the ambient temp is above 100 degrees (like a car) and that expiration date will be pretty spot on.

I had multiple cases of battle dressings given to me when I was working a deployment. They were VN era design with no date code. When I opened the boxes the plastic wrapper had broken down into shreds and the fabric compression wrap pulled apart in my hands.

Dry products with no medications are generally dated for the life of the packaging and it's ability to maintain sterility. Assuming the packaging is in good condition and the product hasn't been exposed to long periods of direct sunlight add a couple years to date of your bandages and then rotate them into surplus gear.

[SOWT]

Most items that the FDA regulate are required to have an expiration date. The expiration dates are pretty conservative in regards to actual life spans when stored correctly. An item stored in a 50-60 degree closet with low humidity and no light will outlast the expiration date 5-10 fold (10-20 years). Store your stuff in an area that has high humidity, full sunlight exposure, and the ambient temp is above 100 degrees (like a car) and that expiration date will be pretty spot on.

I had multiple cases of battle dressings given to me when I was working a deployment. They were VN era design with no date code. When I opened the boxes the plastic wrapper had broken down into shreds and the fabric compression wrap pulled apart in my hands.

Dry products with no medications are generally dated for the life of the packaging and it's ability to maintain sterility. Assuming the packaging is in good condition and the product hasn't been exposed to long periods of direct sunlight add a couple years to date of your bandages and then rotate them into surplus gear.

Interesting, something else to put on the to-do list.

[ST911]

What Mike said. Properly stored, most dry goods are serviceable long past expiration date. I have GI gauze and dressings from the 70s and 80s that are fine. Stuff with adhesives, gels, gets more caution. I have AED pads years out of date that were stored in climate controlled storage that are still GTG, but outside my comfort zone

Meds are their own animal.

[medicman816]

Dry products with no medications are generally dated for the life of the packaging and it's ability to maintain sterility. Assuming the packaging is in good condition and the product hasn't been exposed to long periods of direct sunlight add a couple years to date of your bandages and then rotate them into surplus gear.


This hits the nail on the head. An expiration date on non-medications is almost always on the sterility of the packaging. Glues break down over time and the sterility will become compromised.

I also believe that extremes in temperature fluctuation will cause problems as well. An example would be a first aid kit left in a car in a northern climate. Zero degree winters and 130 degree car interiors in the summer can do bad things. I have no solid evidence to point you to on that one, but i have seen what a band-aid looks like after a few years in my car. While they may or may not be sterile, they sure dont stick!

It was also mentioned in an above post about adhesives and gels. This is also true. I will add alcohol preps to that list. This usually happens when the packaging has become compromised.