IFAK and expiration date

I asked this question on the Discord Server, but figured it would be better asked here so that the answers can be searched for and captured better.

I have a couple of IFAK's, both something I randomly assembled and pre-assenbled ones from a couple different companies. All of them have items in them that have expiration dates. Stuff like the Hyfin chest seals and the Celox Z tape has an expiration date on them.

1) How critical is that date? Is it something like the expiration dates on drugs where "hey, this might still be good, but we didn't bother testing past 18 months so hey, what ever" or is it "this shit should have been thrown away 2 weeks ago!"?
2) Does temp variation affect that date? I have an IFAK in my car glove box. Does the wild temp swings from 55°F to 130°F in a day cause the stuff like the Celox Z tape to age faster?

Thanks!
 

Ryan St.Jean

Regular Member
For sealed bandages I wouldn’t worry about it. A chest seal is basically a piece of plastic. Unless it’s perforated I can’t see it going bad. The clotting agent gauze maybe it could be an issue.

Then again is saving a couple bucks to avoid replacing potentially life saving items really a good choice? Might be penny wise and pound foolish. Skip a dinner out or impulse purchase of some multicam pouch you don’t really need and order replacements. Refill your IFAKS with fresh stuff then use the old expired ones as trainers.
 

davel501

Newbie
From previous experience running the system that was used to build med kits I would advise that you call the customer service for the company you bought the kit from. They should be able to tell you or find out the appropriate temperature ranges for each product and what high heat cycles do to the components. It is definitely a component by component thing though as things like gauze just have to be kept clean while tubing, trays, pretty much anything plastic or rubber had a definite reduction in serviceable life. My angle was tracking sterilization cycles but you get the idea.
 
I have asked the same question to multiple EMT/Medics (all with some kind of military background) and what Ryan St Jean stated is pretty spot on with only one thing to add. All of the previously stated folks recommended no more than 5 years on a sealed and non-abused chest seal.
 

Andrew D. Fisher

Medical Guy
Staff member
Moderator
1) How critical is that date? Not that critical. As long as the packaging intact it should maintain some functionality after the expiration date.
2) Does temp variation affect that date? temperature is much more harmful than expiration. It is harmful, more likely to cause issues with the chest seals.
 
1) How critical is that date? Not that critical. As long as the packaging intact it should maintain some functionality after the expiration date.
2) Does temp variation affect that date? temperature is much more harmful than expiration. It is harmful, more likely to cause issues with the chest seals.
Thanks!

Is the temp issue something where we should throw out adhesive based items faster than expiration date, or is it more like, "Hey, don't bother trying to extend this cause the adhesives might be bad."

Full disclosure, this is part of an external to P&S conversation where I am trying to help some people out.

I came down on the side of anything that was adhesive based, like chest seals, just chuck it right at the date cause the carry model (IFAK) and temp swing (in your car) is going to degrade the adhesive to a certain extent. But stuff like Celox wound pack relies on a chemical reaction so as long as the package is intact and it is within a "reasonable" time frame of the expiration date, you should be good to go.
 

Andrew D. Fisher

Medical Guy
Staff member
Moderator
Thanks!

Is the temp issue something where we should throw out adhesive based items faster than expiration date, or is it more like, "Hey, don't bother trying to extend this cause the adhesives might be bad."

Full disclosure, this is part of an external to P&S conversation where I am trying to help some people out.

I came down on the side of anything that was adhesive based, like chest seals, just chuck it right at the date cause the carry model (IFAK) and temp swing (in your car) is going to degrade the adhesive to a certain extent. But stuff like Celox wound pack relies on a chemical reaction so as long as the package is intact and it is within a "reasonable" time frame of the expiration date, you should be good to go.
I'm not sure, but you probably need to replace sooner than the expiration. I usually check one and if it's gone bad, replace the them all.
 
From my experience in the sandbox , my tourniquets i.e. cat and soft t's , needle D's, would be fine as long as package wasn't compromised with sand . Hyfins and bolin chest seals..once they got really hot coupled with being expired plus carried alot ....some we're unuseable. It's a gamble really. The other stuff like gauze, cravats, are fine either way. Your hemostatic agents like celox quikclot we would contact company to see how long past date. They usually disclose if you call.
 
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