Who comes up with the expiration dates for supplies??

amoLucia · Aug 19, 2015

You asked a really good question! Seriously. I never thought of it.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 19, 2015

Excellent question, and one for which I hope someone has a knowledgeable answer!

I have often wondered why on Earth there are even expiration dates at all on some things...ok, yeah, maybe it's not designed to last until Armageddon, but how did that date get picked in the first place??

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Aug 19, 2015

As part of my nurse/tech/secretary/janitor job I check for out of date supplies and it always strikes me as odd what does and doesn't have an expiration date.
For example:
Syringes don't, needles do
IV tubing doesn't, nasal cannulas do
Alcohol preps dont, 2x2 pads do
What's the criteria? I just don't get it. Plus, some things have a ridiculous long shelf life (thank goodness).

Needles expiring after a long run makes sense to me since they actually penetrate the body. My mind isn't processing the rest of it, though.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Aug 19, 2015

The syringes DO have an expiration date- but it is either coded OR on the box they come in. And (we had a HUGE education about this after a TJC visit) only items that go into / onto a patient's body expire and have pull dates. The other dates on items are (in the case of our 2x2s) manufacture dates or suggested use by dates.

I know waaaaayyyyyy too much about this.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Aug 19, 2015

MMJ, I am staring at a box of syringes that have no expiration date. And if it's coded, LOL....no one is going to KNOW when or if they expire! Beyond that....since syringes don't go IN or ON a body (or if they do, I'd like to see that action!)....why would they have a Super Secret Expiration Date in the first place? I swear someone in manufacturing is laughing his or her butt off at this...

iluvivt, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2015

Every IV tubing I have ever seen has a expiration date and I check them on every home care patient I have and yes sometimes they are difficult to find. I also check all our supplies for out dates since I order all our IV supplies.. A variety of factors are included in how an expiration date is determined such as how long it takes for the product to degrade or no longer function in an optimal manner.

Use this as a starting point: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/.../UCM081366.pdf

AcuteHD · Aug 20, 2015

Thanks for the link, iluvivt. No exp date on my primary or secondary IV tubing, just the lot number. I'm sure the patient end with the cannula has an expiration date, but not the pump tubing. Maybe it's on the box they came in, but they come to me individually.

Also, Ambu bags don't expire either even though they can sit around for several years (hopefully) without being touched. That's scarry to me.

coughdrop.2.go, BSN, RN · Aug 20, 2015

From what I've seen it all depends on the manufacture since they are stating they guarantee sterility up to that date. Also, manufacturers vary with what they may or may not put expiration dates on. For example, I stated a new job in a clinic and started going through the supplies to sort out all the expired and "questionable" stuff. I found an expired box of alcohol pads and another box from a different manufacture without an expiration date. Also, I believe BD does not put expiration dates on their insulin syringes.

But keep in mind (not just for you OP, but anyone reading), people like to feel certain ways about expiration dates because the object "looks fine". Our eyes are not microscopic and the dates are put there for a reason whether our facilities want to shell out more money or not. Whether we follow expiration dates in our own homes and private lives are between us and the little person we talk to in our head. It irritates me so much to see nurses before me not care so much about expiration dates because of whatever reason. I don't care if it's 1 minute past the shelf life, I'm not giving it to my student and jeopardizing my license.

Sorry for the rant....so long story short, it all depends on how long the manufacture can determine that the object will remain sterile within that particular packaging. Like iluvivt posted above, FDA does have regulations regarding structuring the dates.