Question

Cefaclor 10 mg/kg every 12 hours is prescribed for a child client weighing 44 lb. The medication comes in an oral suspension that contains 250 mg/5 mL. How many mL does the nurse administer for each dose?

Answer 1

To calculate the dosage, you first convert the child's weight to kg and determine the total mg per dose. Then, you set up an equivalent ratio using the mg/mL concentration of the suspension to find the mL per dose. The nurse would administer 4 mL of the cefaclor suspension per dose.

Step-by-step explanation:

The medication Cefaclor is prescribed at 10 mg/kg every 12 hours for a child weighing 44 lb. To convert the weight to kilograms, multiply 44 lb by 0.4536 (1 lb = 0.4536 kg) which equals roughly 20 kg. The dosage for the child, therefore, is 10 mg/kg x 20 kg = 200 mg.

The medication Cefaclor comes in an oral suspension with 250 mg in each 5 mL. Therefore, to determine the number of mL per dose, create an equivalent ratio: if 250 mg is equivalent to 5 mL, then 200 mg is equivalent to how many mL? Cross multiplying and solving for x gives us x = (200 mg * 5 mL) / 250 mg = 4 mL.

Therefore, the nurse would administer 4 mL of the cefaclor suspension per dose to the child.

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