Question

Penicillin G procaine 240,000 units intramuscularly is prescribed for a 4-year-old child who has a streptococcal respiratory infection. The medication vial is labeled 1,200,000 units/2 mL. How many mL should the nurse administer? (Enter numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth.)

A) 0.4 mL
B) 0.8 mL
C) 1.2 mL
D) 2.0 mL

Answer 1

To calculate the amount of Penicillin G procaine to administer, we set up a proportion based on the medication vial's labeling and solved for the volume that corresponds with 240,000 units. The nurse should administer 0.4 mL of Penicillin G procaine.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the amount of Penicillin G procaine to administer to the child, we need to use a simple unit conversion. We are told that the medication vial is labeled 1,200,000 units/2 mL, and we need to administer 240,000 units to the child.

We start by setting up a proportion where we compare the units with the corresponding milliliters of the solution. We need to find x, which represents the volume of medication in mL that contains 240,000 units of the antibiotic.
1,200,000 units : 2 mL = 240,000 units : x mL

To solve for x, we cross-multiply and divide:
(240,000 units * 2 mL) / 1,200,000 units = x
480,000 mL / 1,200,000 = x
x = 0.4 mL

Therefore, the nurse should administer 0.4 mL of Penicillin G procaine to the child.