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?
Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.
When I started cleaning out my office this fall I found a couple of textbooks - anatomy and physiology and obstetrics - with copyright dates of 1959 and 60. I thought they were cool looking and used them to decorate one of my shelves.
When I started cleaning out my office this fall I found a couple of textbooks - anatomy and physiology and obstetrics - with copyright dates of 1959 and 60. I thought they were cool looking and used them to decorate one of my shelves.
I have an American Red Cross Book dated 1933, the year my mom was born!
When I started cleaning out my office this fall I found a couple of textbooks - anatomy and physiology and obstetrics - with copyright dates of 1959 and 60. I thought they were cool looking and used them to decorate one of my shelves.
I'd love to look through those! I bet they're very interesting!
Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.
I'd love to look through those! I bet they're very interesting!
The coolest thing is that there are handwritten notes in the margin, important stuff underlined, etc. There is a name in them too, but all current staff know is that she was the school nurse at one time, but no one here now knows anything about her.
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!
I am embarrassed to admit I did this at home a few weeks ago and threw out some OTC meds that had expired in 2009. I am obviously way better at keeping up with this at work than at my own house. At work I clean the med cart out every 2 weeks, at home obviously not so often
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
I have an American Red Cross Book dated 1933, the year my mom was born!
I have a bound set of all 53 lessons from the Chicago School of Nursing, 1936. It's Nursing School by a Correspondence Course! They apparently didn't have licensure back then? All it says in the book is that "graduates are entitled to wear the school pin and ring."
Have only ever glanced through it rather than reading through each lesson, but I have learned a lot! For instance, there are 'recipes' for making up different kind of enemas, like a turpentine enema or The Nourishing Enema made with Somatose [a preparation of soluble albumin of beef], water, sodium chloride, the white of one egg, peptonized -?- milk and/or brandy!)
There are also very specific lessons on how EXACTLY to wrap ace wraps on various body parts. Each turn and layer is numbered in a photograph...such perfection!
I have to type this part out for all you hospital nurses who do admissions, etc. because you WON'T believe it!
DUTIES OF A HOSPITAL NURSE IN CONNECTION WITH THE ADMISSION AND CARE OF PATIENTS
Nurses in charge should report case to doctor at once. Treat all new patients as bed patients until further orders. Weigh and measure height of each patient on admission. After that, weigh and record weight weekly [hospital stays were unbelievably long back then!] Give no food until diet and preliminary treatment have been ordered. Take temperature by mouth, and when in bed, per rectum. Rectal temperature is more reliable than that taken by mouth, because it is never changed by external influences.
All patients are to be bathed on admission, per physician's orders, and are to have a shampoo. A skin case should not be bathed until after an examination by the dermatologist, or skin specialist.
Upon the admission of a new patient the nurse who receives him shall immediately verify the admission slip and make necessary corrections. All such corrections should be reported immediately to the office and the admission slip turned in.
CONCERNING PHYSICIAN'S ORDERS
Nurses are to write, in the order book, all orders that physicians give for patients. They must enter therein the date and the time, and at the bottom of the order sign their own name. The doctor will then look over the orders and sign them.
No order may be carried out that has not been signed by a physician except in the case of a great emergency. When writing the orders nurses are cautioned not to comment on them, nor, unless asked, to discuss them in any way, except to ask information about the orders that will make them perfectly clear. Orders may be given by telephone to the nurse in charge only in the case of a great emergency, these orders to be confirmed as soon as possible by a written order in the order book.
The night supervisor (not pupils on night duty) may receive telephone orders in emergencies, and may receive written orders in a special book kept for that purpose. During the day the head nurse may receive emergency orders by telephone. Student nurses must refer such orders to the supervisor on duty in the office.
How about FOLEY CATHETERS having expiration dates?!?
Yes, we had caths with exp dates. Made me wonder why also. I figured it had something to do with the wrapper's integrity, altho foleys have the inner sleeve covering the cath. In LTC, we had a variety of sizes. It was always the larger sizes that rarely get used that looked the ratty-est. I remember inserting a #32 foley years ago ... ouch!
How about FOLEY CATHETERS having expiration dates?!?
Yes, we had caths with exp dates. Made me wonder why also. I figured it had something to do with the wrapper's integrity, altho foleys have the inner sleeve covering the cath. In LTC, we had a variety of sizes. It was always the larger sizes that rarely get used that looked the ratty-est. I remember inserting a #32 foley years ago ... ouch!
See, this I can see. I can see the Foley breaking down moreso than gauze.
because you WON'T believe it! 
:***:
Cattz, ADN
1,083 Posts
Nana- Sometimes, it is so scary for us to step out of the "box". Good work!!