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First Aid Kit Shelf Life

11K views 12 replies 13 participants last post by  strvger 
#1 ·
Forgive me if this has already been discussed - I did search first but didn't see a thread that addresses this question.

I have a first aid kit in my car box. How often should I replace the items in the kit? I'm specifically wondering about the Quick Clot - does it go bad? And do the extreme temperature fluctuations in a vehicle degrade the product?

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
I go through my car kit once a year to check for any damage or expired items. The kit I have inside the house is used about once a week (my wife is very accident prone) so I know that's all up to date.

The quick clot should have an expiration date on it. If it's the older powder type I would toss it and get a new one that is just like a bag of the stuff (looks like a tea bag wrapped around the contents) this is so that the quick clot doesn't get stuck in the wound and have to be picked out by a doctor. Very painful.
 
#4 ·
I go through it once a year to get rid of the expired stuff. The stuff I really check for are the ointments and antibiotics. The bandages, gauze, etc. I let stay in there. However, I put the expired stuff in a separate place just in case I run out of the instock stuff
 
#5 ·
Dear CRC,
As has been mentioned prior, almost everything in a first aid kit will have expiration dates, especially the medicines and creams. But what does that mean? Do they "spoil"? Not likely, especially with American made and FDA approved products. Gauze in a wrapper is timeless, but an opened gauze will attract moisture and mildew, even if contains AMD or some other antimicrobial agent. FDA approved drugs simply lose their efficacy over time and are not as effective at doing what their job is, most antibiotics are particularly susceptive to this. Ciprofloxacin is said to have quite an extended shelf life(Up to 10 years), but there is no scientifically accepted proof of this<Did you miss the Disclaimer?>. I personally am a big fan of QuikClot because its active ingredient, Kaolin, is a mineral instead of a biologically derived substance such as Chitosan or Oxidized Cellulose Polymer both of which are very effective but, solely in my opinion, are more susceptible to the breakdown over time and when stored in adverse conditions.
Hope this helped,
BVM
 
#6 ·
Remember the meds do expire and the adhesives eventually will degrage- especially in a mondo hot car. Shelf life is not as relevant thus. I have yanked bandages out that have been in my kit for ten years. The wrappers were brown and they had to go. Oh and you'll love what Quick-Cold packs do. They have ammonium nitrate which tends to leak and cause things to rust. One time I had one burst and wondered why metal objects in the back seat rusted and why there was an odd white accumulation.

A year sounds right but in hot weather make it six months for inspection. Remove all topical and oral meds since their expirations are only at room temperature.
 
#11 ·
Do medicines really expire? I found myself badly in need of allergy meds and had nothing but Benadryl that expired 04/2007. I thought it had lost potency so I took two. It knocked me out so fast Im glad I didn't have to drive anywhere, I was out like a light. Clearly it was still potent.

I know some medicines do lose its effectiveness over time, but which ones do and which ones don't?
 
#12 ·
Tape, depending on the type you have, will either loose its stickiness, will become sticky on both sides or break easily. Keep electrical tape of duck tape as a backup. Hot/cold packs will eventually leak all over everything if not in a zip lock baggie. Personally, I don't even bother with those. Burn sheets will become weak and crumble into little bits after a while. Check regularly. Some have expiration dates. Some dont. Latex gloves will degrade over time. Some meds may be OK for a while after expiration date but I would replace instead of take a chance that they may be no good when an emergency happens.
 
#13 ·
i prefer to use military filed dressings. wrapped in paper then sealed in plastic. no exp date. i have yet to find anything else that works as easily or as fast.
most medicines have a very conservative exp date, with one notable exception: sublingual nitroglycerin (Nitrostat) tablets. you only get 6 months or so before it starts to quickly loose it's effectiveness.
 
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