Question

The client has an order for dobutamine (Dobutrex) 2.5

mcg/kg/min. The medication available is dobutamine 500 mg/750 mL in
0.9% NS. The client weighs 230 lb. At what rate will the nurse set
the infusio

Answer 1

To determine the infusion rate of dobutamine, calculate the total dosage based on the client's weight and convert it to mL/hr using the medication's concentration. For a client weighing 230 lb, the infusion rate should be set at 23 mL/hr.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the rate at which the nurse should set the infusion of dobutamine, we need to calculate the total dosage of the medication based on the client's weight, and then convert the dosage to mL/hr based on the concentration of the medication available.

First, we calculate the total dosage of dobutamine for the client:

Dosage = Weight (in kg) x Dose (in mcg/kg/min)

Since the client weighs 230 lb, we need to convert the weight to kg:

Weight = 230 lb x 1 kg / 2.205 lb = 104.3 kg

Now, we can calculate the total dosage:

Dosage = 104.3 kg x 2.5 mcg/kg/min = 260.75 mcg/min

Next, we need to convert the dosage to mL/hr:

Concentration of dobutamine = 500 mg/750 mL

Convert mcg to mg:

260.75 mcg/min = 0.26075 mg/min

Now, we can use the concentration to calculate the infusion rate:

Infusion rate (mL/hr) = Dosage (mg/min) x Total Volume (mL) / Concentration (mg/mL)

Infusion rate = 0.26075 mg/min x 750 mL / 500 mg = 0.391125 mL/min

Since we need the rate in mL/hr, we can multiply by 60:

Infusion rate = 0.391125 mL/min x 60 min/hr = 23.47 mL/hr

Rounding to the nearest whole number, the nurse should set the infusion rate at 23 mL/hr.