Question

14) The physician orders 10 mg/kg/dose of a medication that is available as 25 mg/mL. The

medication is to be mixed in a 100 mL bag of D5W and infused over 50 minutes using a mini-drip
set. If the patient weighs 30 lb, what is the appropriate infusion rate in gtt/min?

Answer 1

The appropriate infusion rate is approximately 6.53 gtt/min.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the appropriate infusion rate in gtt/min, we need to follow a series of steps:

1. Convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.205 (since there are 2.205 pounds in 1 kilogram). In this case, the patient weighs 30 lb, so the weight in kilograms is 30 / 2.205 = 13.605 kg.
2. Calculate the appropriate dose of the medication by multiplying the patient's weight (in kilograms) by the ordered dose per kilogram. In this case, the dose is 10 mg/kg/dose, so the appropriate dose is 13.605 kg * 10 mg/kg = 136.05 mg.
3. Calculate the number of milliliters of medication needed by dividing the dose (in milligrams) by the concentration of the medication. The medication is available as 25 mg/mL, so the number of milliliters needed is 136.05 mg / 25 mg/mL = 5.442 mL.
4. Calculate the infusion rate in gtt/min by dividing the number of milliliters needed by the infusion time in minutes and then multiplying by the drip factor of the mini-drip set. The medication is to be infused over 50 minutes using a mini-drip set, so the infusion rate is 5.442 mL / 50 min * 60 gtt/mL = 6.53 gtt/min.

Therefore, the appropriate infusion rate in gtt/min is approximately 6.53.