Question

38) A primary health care provider orders 1000mL 0.9% sodium chloride to be infused over 6 hours. A gravity flow infusion set states that the drop factor is 15. At which rate should the nurse set the IV flow rate? Record using a whole number as drops/minute

Answer 1

The IV flow rate should be set at 42 drops per minute when rounded to the nearest whole number.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate IV flow rate in drops per minute, you can use the formula:

Flow rate (drops/min) = (Total volume in mL × Drop factor in gtts/mL) ÷ Time in minutes.

In this case:

• Total volume = 1000mL,
• Drop factor = 15 drops/mL,
• Time = 6 hours = 360 minutes (since 6 hours × 60 minutes/hour = 360 minutes).

Plugging these values into the formula gives:

Flow rate = (1000mL × 15 drops/mL) ÷ 360 minutes = 41.67 drops/min.

Since we record the flow rate as a whole number, we round the result:

Flow rate = 42 drops/min (rounded to nearest whole number).