Question

Determine the flow rate of an IVPB containing 150 ml of gentamicin, if the solution is to be infused over a 2-hour period and the administration set is calibrated to deliver 15 drops per ml.

A) 20 drops per minute
B) 30 drops per minute
C) 45 drops per minute
D) 60 drops per minute

Answer 1

The flow rate of the IVPB containing 150 ml of gentamicin over a 2-hour period is 19 drops per minute.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the flow rate of an IVPB (intravenous piggyback) containing 150 ml of gentamicin over a 2-hour period, we need to calculate the number of drops per minute. First, we convert the infusion time from hours to minutes by multiplying by 60: 2 hours * 60 minutes/hour = 120 minutes. Then, we calculate the total number of drops needed by multiplying the volume of the solution (150 ml) by the number of drops per ml (15 drops/ml): 150 ml * 15 drops/ml = 2250 drops. Finally, we divide the total number of drops by the infusion time in minutes: 2250 drops / 120 minutes = 18.75 drops per minute. Since we can't have fractional drops, we round up to the nearest whole number, which is 19 drops per minute.