Yep, you made my point, NurseMike- they put an expiration to insure it's used before the packaging is compromised. If the packaging isn't compromised, still sterile, in theory, so still usable, so the original poster shouldn't have to worry.

And you coud be right, Mdinana, even medical oxygen is given an expiration date (per USP guidelines, but enforced by FDA).

A (IV) line and a liter ( of saline) cures a multitude of ills. I had the opportunity in 1980 to assist in decommissioning a civil defense hospital ( WWII or korean war surplus, maybe)that was stored in the local post office cellar/fallout shelter. It was like unwrapping christmas presents. There was a portable x-ray machine and table, an ether-anesthesia machine, a whole bunch of morphine syringes, and assorted IV equipment, including 30 year old glass liter bottles of dextrose, saline, and ringers. The iv fluids looked fine, until inverted-then the particulates at the bottom of the bottle floated around-presumably rubber from the decay of the cork. Like fine wine, iv bottles should be stored horizontally to keep the cork moist. I wish I had been permitted to keep the anesthesia machine for my first aid kit-while most modern anesthetics are tough to make at home, di-ethyl ether can be produced with sulfuric acid and ethanol, as I recollect.

I would submit that the 18D cadre knows a thing or three about real world medical care and how to teach it to people. Still, they may bear your comment in mind.

I'm sure they do, it was more meant for other people watching - One of the big things they can use that we can't - morphine, and 1-2 other big guys holding the wounded guy down