Final answer:
Medication dosage calculations are crucial in medicine and involve unit conversions. For a child weighing 52 lb, the correct one-time dose of a medication ordered at 150 mg/kg is 3535.5 mg. For metronidazole prescribed at 2 gm, and provided in 500 mg tablets, 4 tablets are required.
Step-by-step explanation:
Medication Dosage Calculations
The ability to convert from one unit to another is essential, particularly in the medical field where accurate medication dosages are crucial. In the first question, a child weighing 52 lb is prescribed a medication at a dose of 150 mg/kg every 4 hours. To calculate this dose accurately, we must first convert the child's weight to kilograms (1 lb = 0.453592 kg) and then apply the prescribed dose per kg.
For the second question, metronidazole is ordered at 2 gm taken orally (po), and we have 500 mg tablets available. Conversion between grams and milligrams will provide the correct number of tablets needed.
Lastly, the prescription requires 30 mg/kg to be given in two equally divided doses for a child weighing 70 lb. The total daily dose in milligrams must be computed by converting the child's weight into kilograms followed by calculating the appropriate dose based on weight.
Examples and Solutions:
To determine the one-time dose for the first child: 52 lb × 0.453592 = 23.57 kg. Then multiply by the dose: 23.57 kg × 150 mg/kg = 3535.5 mg, which is the dose to be given every 4 hours.
For the metronidazole requirement of 2 gm, we know that 1 gm = 1000 mg. Hence, 2 gm = 2000 mg. If each tablet is 500 mg, then 2000 mg / 500 mg per tablet = 4 tablets.
The child who weighs 70 lb is equivalent to 31.75 kg (70 lb × 0.453592). The total dose per day is 31.75 kg × 30 mg/kg = 952.5 mg. Since this must be given in two divided doses, each dose should be half of 952.5 mg, which is 476.25 mg.
Understanding the correct dosage and route of administration is paramount to ensure safety and effectiveness of medication therapy, and this often involves complex unit conversions.