Safe storage times for sterile instrument packs

Military health care facilities are required to place expiration dates on sterile instrument packs. There are few scientific guidelines for determining these dates. This article reports the findings of two studies conducted at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, which investigated the potential shelf-life of three packaging materials for sterile instruments. The results of the studies indicate that sterility is maintained for at least 1 year with all three materials. The maximum storage times allowed for sterile instruments at most military facilities appear to be overly restrictive.