Weird question about gauze

[ohiobobcat]

When I started working in this school nurse office 3 years ago , I threw away a ton of expired and old things. Like mouthwash that had no expiration date on it, but was a syrup-like consistency. Toothpaste that expired in 2009. I found some old first aid kits with aspirin in it that expired before Obama became president. So needless to say, I cleaned and purged a bunch of stuff a few years ago when I took over this office.

I found some sterile gauze that had an expiration date on it stamped 2/2011. I put them aside because, well, it's gauze!! I just found them again.

So here are my questions.

Why does sterile gauze have an expiration date on it? Is it because of the glue that holds the glues the "packet" together can be guaranteed to be sticky enough to maintain the sterility of the gauze?

Do the gauze fibers themselves degrade?

I'm frugal with my budget and I thought I would tear these sterile gauzes open and throw them in my non-sterile sponge bin. I definitely use non-sterile sponges more than sterile gauze here. So I did that and the expired "sterile" gauze is yellower that the sponges.

Should I just give up and chuck the yellow expired sterile gauze? That's what I think, but I hate to waste stuff.

This is the #1 burning question in my school nurse practice so far today. Jealous, much?

[kidzcare]

Hm, I might go with that and keep it. You have a point about the expiration date possibly being about the glue (just like the expiration date on bottled water is when the plastic bottle expires)

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

It appears that gamma radiation is used to sterilize gauze and that is the limiting factor on sterilization. Therefore using outdated sterile gauze as clean should be a frugal use of otherwise trashed gauze.

[ohiobobcat]

It appears that gamma radiation is used to sterilize gauze and that is the limiting factor on sterilization. Therefore using outdated sterile gauze as clean should be a frugal use of otherwise trashed gauze.

Did you Google that? I remember trying to look this up the last time I ran across this same gauze (it's haunting me!!) and either couldn't find the info on it, or got busy and didn't search thoroughly.

Either way, I didn't search "expired gauze" today and just came here and asked my colleagues instead. Gamma rays, who knew????

[MrNurse(x2), ADN]

Did you Google that? I remember trying to look this up the last time I ran across this same gauze (it's haunting me!!) and either couldn't find the info on it, or got busy and didn't search thoroughly.

Either way, I didn't search "expired gauze" today and just came here and asked my colleagues instead. Gamma rays, who knew????

I googled it, trust me, I'm not up on this stuff.

[Farawyn]

Meh. I never throw out gauze.

Nothing in my office is sterile except my phone, which I constantly wipe down.

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

Meh. I never throw out gauze.

Nothing in my office is sterile except my phone, which I constantly wipe down.

I think even after wiping down my phone, it is never really sterile. I try. Kids share germs the second they leave my office...

[DEgalRN]

Hmm... now I need to check out my sterile gauze. I checked all the medications, but not the other supplies for expiration dates. But, agreed with you and the others, I would use it as clean.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Not a school nurse, but talk of expiration dates reminds me that I have to clean out the shelves of the linen closet where all OTC's and first aid, and lots of 'etceteras' are stored. Thanks for the inspiration, and for giving me an indoor task (it is VERY cold and windy outside!) to accomplish today!

[ohiobobcat]

Thanks for the inspiration, and for giving me an indoor task (it is VERY cold and windy outside!) to accomplish today!

I'm here to help!!

[No Stars In My Eyes]

DONE!!!!!

Thanks, obc!

I just threw out a ton of expired, coagulated, congealed dusty, never-used and inexplicably-saved products and STUFF: I weighed the trash bagful and it was, yes, TEN pounds of useless crap. WOW!

[NanaPoo]

You weighed your trash? Man, that WAS a slow day!

This month has been WILD for me. Today is the first day I've been on AN in over a week unless it's been in the middle of the night. It's been nuts around here. I've tossed around the idea of applying for an ER job so I can at least get paid for my stress level and lack of bathroom and lunch breaks. Sheesh.

I'm a tosser/OCD/minimalist and our previous nurse was either a hoarder or just too exhausted, lazy or something to clean out the clinic storage. She'd only been here since 2005 but I found items that expired in the early 90's in there. Heck, I'd just graduated high school then. I didn't even know I wanted to be a nurse when those things were reaching their expiration date. I got rid of multiple yard-size bags of trash...and I did it secretly for fear my principal would question all my tossing. But I received SO many compliments on my organized, medical-looking closet when I was finished.