Guidelines > IACUC Policy on Use of Expired Medical Materials
The use of expired medical materials such as drugs, fluids, or sutures on animals is not considered to be acceptable veterinary practice and does not constitute adequate veterinary care. An exception to this policy can be made for acute terminal procedures, as long as the use of the expired materials does not adversely affect the animal's well being or compromise the validity of the scientific study. Proper anesthesia, analgesia, and euthanasia are required for all such procedures, and therefore drugs administered to relieve pain or distress, to produce euthanasia or anesthesia and emergency drugs must not be used beyond their expiration date.
FOR SURVIVAL PROCEDURES:
All drugs and medical materials (e.g., saline bags, suture materials, antibiotics) used in survival procedures must be disposed of after the expiration date. All expired supplies must be labeled "Expired – Do Not Use" and stored separately from non-expired materials if immediate disposal is not possible.
FOR NON-SURVIVAL PROCEDURES:
With the exception of controlled substances and emergency, anesthetic, analgesic, or euthanasia drugs, expired medical materials may be used in terminal procedures, including non-survival surgeries, provided:
Materials are marked as "Expired – Use ONLY in TERMINAL Procedures
Materials are stored in a different location (cabinet, drawer, etc.) than materials used for survival procedures
The use of expired medical materials does not adversely affect the animal’s well-being or compromise the validity of the scientific study.
Proper anesthesia, analgesia, and euthanasia are employed for all such procedures.
IDENTIFICATION AND REMOVAL OF EXPIRED MEDICAL MATERIALS:
The IACUC recommends that each laboratory establish a procedure to facilitate the identification and removal of expired drugs and other medical materials used for research involving animals. This may take the form of a drug log, signed by a member of the laboratory each month, indicating that they have checked for and discarded, or set aside for disposal, any expired drugs or other medical materials from their laboratory.
