Why the LOT and REF numbers on my kit box don't match the ones on the test pouch

If you've looked closely at your kit, you may have noticed that the LOT number printed inside the box is different from the LOT number on the sealed foil pouch. The REF numbers are different too. This is expected.

Every component has its own identity

A test kit isn't a single item, it's several components brought together into one box. Each component carries its own identifiers:

• REF number: identifies what the item is, the product code
• LOT number: identifies which batch it came from

The foil pouch is a component in its own right, so it has its own REF and LOT. The finished kit is a separate item with its own REF and LOT. Two different things, two different sets of numbers.

We number them separately so we can identify and trace each component, and the finished kit, through production.

Why the expiry dates usually match

Different LOT numbers but the same expiry date. It looks inconsistent, but it isn't.

A kit's expiry date is set by whichever component inside it expires first, because the kit can't outlast its earliest expiring part. In most kits that component is the test chip in the foil pouch, so the two dates end up identical.

It won't always work out that way. Occasionally another component expires first, and then the date on the box and the date on the pouch will differ. That's also normal.

What to check before you use your kit

• the expiry date on the outer box hasn't passed
• the expiry date on the foil pouch hasn't passed
• the foil pouch is sealed and undamaged, with no tears or punctures
• the kit has been stored within the temperature range shown on the box
• nothing listed on the box is missing

If you think something is missing, you can check the full contents of your kit here.

For full instructions, see the PocDoc Healthy Heart Check Self Test Instructions for Use.

If you have any further questions, please contact us here and we'll be happy to help.