Does the thermometer still work? When to replace items in your first aid kit at home
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Does the thermometer withal work? When to supplant items in your start aid kit at dwelling
CNA Lifestyle checks with the experts on when to supplant items such as plasters, medicine and even masks – considering a lot of these expire subsequently a couple of years.
(Photo: Freepik; Art: Chern Ling)
16 Mar 2022 06:25AM (Updated: 10 Aug 2022 12:55PM)
When was the terminal time you lot took a good look inside your first assist kit at dwelling house? (No, rifling through for a surgical mask doesn't count.) Was it a few months back? More than a twelvemonth ago?
Maybe your offset aid kit isn't a box but a pouch or spare drawer with odds and ends rattling around inside, forth with bandages, plasters, an assortment of blister packs, and bottles of mixtures from … yous can't remember when.
READ: Are expired toiletries and beauty products nevertheless constructive and safe to use?
Not knowing what's in your medical kit at dwelling house isn't a adept idea because some items may accept shorter shelf lives than others. And having a messy drawer or cabinet worsens the state of affairs because yous can't keep rail of its contents.
"The shelf life for items in a start aid kit is usually about ii to three years, depending on the item," said Sucy Mathew, a senior nurse manager with SingHealth Polyclinics-Marine Parade. "It is necessary to conduct regular checks on the items in a first aid kit to ensure that the items have not expired and to take them replaced if expired."
We find out more from the experts what things you lot should be replacing from your first aid kit at habitation.
Disposable MASKS
These are just pieces of non-woven material with rubberband loops at the ends. Surely these tin't expire, correct?
Well, masks do. "All unused disposable masks generally expire in ane to three years (and a maximum five years) afterward the engagement of manufacture," said Dr Gan Heng Hui, a senior specialist in Food Chemical science & Safe from Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Chemic & Life Sciences.
She added that the expiry appointment only applies if the masks are not opened and are stored in proper conditions.
"The expired masks could lose their effectiveness or may take attracted micro-organisms, resulting in irritations and pare infections," she explained. "If the mask is dirty or damaged, or the animate resistance is unacceptably high, it should exist disposed of."
When to replace: If the packaging is already opened, you lot should dispose the mask, peculiarly when the mask has discoloured or if the foam strips inside have crumbled, said Dr Gan. Using such expired masks would result in you animate in the disintegrated particles.
BANDAGES AND PLASTERS
Bandages are fine to employ as long as they are individually packed, and remain sealed and undamaged, said Elissa Wong, a senior chemist from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).
But in one case the packaging is broken, microbes may enter and the bandages get something you don't want to utilize directly on open cuts and wounds.
As for plasters, they may or may non come with shelf-life recommendations, said Wong. But don't assume they last forever. For one, they may lose their adhesiveness. "If you have purchased sterile plasters, the wound pad may become contaminated over time," she said.
When to supercede: For both bandages and plasters, check for damaged, discoloured or mouldy packaging. If y'all are not sure whether the item has been compromised, replace it to be prophylactic, brash Wong.
READ: Why you shouldn't utilise eye drops that are not meant for contact lenses
TABLETS, CAPSULES AND MIXTURES
Stick to the expiry date religiously, said Dr Wong Li Lian, a senior lecturer with the Section of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science at National University of Singapore.
Information technology may seem like a waste but when medicines take passed the expiry appointment, they may dethrone, lose their efficacy and even potentially get dangerous, she said. "Some of these products may cause irritation, rashes or infection."
Another reason to chuck those expired tablets or cough mixture: Y'all can't tell if they're still constructive merely by advent. "It is non possible to tell which expired medication is safe for consumption without laboratory tests," said Dr Wong.
When to supersede: If a medicine has noticeably changed its texture, odour or color, or has developed a film or spots, it should exist discarded regardless of death appointment. "The molecules in these products tin can break down and course other molecules that may crusade a bad reaction when used," she said.
MEDICATED OILS, OINTMENTS AND CREAMS
Similar to oral medications, information technology is not recommended to use topical products such as medicated oil, antiseptic cream and muscle pain relief ointment past their expiration dates, said KTPH's Wong. The chemic components of the training may degrade or lose its stability, thereby compromising the rubber and efficacy of the product, she added.
When to replace: "Topical products should exist discarded if they emit weird odours, or accept discoloured or inverse in physical appearance," said Wong.
DIGITAL THERMOMETER, GLUCOMETER AND Claret Force per unit area MONITOR
When it comes to your digital thermometer's accuracy, the battery condition shouldn't affect information technology, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In fact, the WHO noted that these devices should still provide accurate readings "after being stored and/or transported in an environment of -20 degrees Celsius to l degrees Celsius, and a relative humidity of xv per cent to 95 per cent non-condensing for 1 month" – which covers most situations in Singapore.
READ: Too much Vitamin C tin cause kidney stones – are you popping supplements safely?
Equally for glucometers and blood pressure monitors, they are expected to last two to three years on average if they are well maintained, said Wong. "Information technology is advisable to send your device for servicing every 1 to ii years (or as indicated on the device's website or instruction transmission) to ensure right functioning and accuracy."
Also, pay attention to the accessories, such every bit the inflatable cuff that accompany your blood pressure machine; they are expected to require more frequent replacement with regular use, said Wong.
If yous utilise a glucometer with a examination strip, note that most of the strips may be stored in their original packaging up to the expiry appointment stated on the product.
"In one case the packaging is opened, the shelf life may be reduced, ranging from iii to half-dozen months. This is due to the reagents that are used in the test strips," said Wong. And you desire to utilize strips that have not expired to ensure the test results' accuracy.
But no matter what device you employ, "to prolong a gadget'southward shelf life, patients can remove the batteries when not in use," advised SingHealth Polyclinic's Mathew.
When to supervene upon: If y'all haven't used your digital thermometer until recently, don't take the initial "Lo" reading on the display as low battery. It just means that the ambient temperature the thermometer is reading is beyond what it is programmed to register. For most digital thermometers, a blinking bombardment icon is what signals low bombardment. It is likewise fourth dimension to change the bombardment if the thermometer doesn't starting time or if it doesn't give the beep sound.
But if the display is cracked, damaged or not displaying well despite having a practiced battery, whether information technology's a digital thermometer, glucometer or claret pressure monitor, it's fourth dimension to go a new device.
"If you suspect your device is inaccurate, bring it along on your side by side doctor'due south visit so y'all can compare the measurements," advised Wong. If yous use a glucometer with a examination strip, it should be replaced if information technology has been exposed to moisture and heat, or air for prolonged periods of fourth dimension.
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/wellness/first-aid-kit-replace-medicine-plaster-thermometer-glucometer-237011
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