Question

A child who weighs 55 lb. is to receive 0.05 mg of a drug per kg of body weight per dose. How much of the drug should the child receive for each dose?

Answer 1

To calculate the child's drug dosage, convert their weight from pounds to kilograms, then multiply by the dosage per kilogram. The result is approximately 1.25 mg per dose.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question is about calculating the correct dosage of a drug for a child based on their body weight. Given that the child weighs 55 pounds, we must first convert this weight to kilograms, because the dosage is prescribed in milligrams per kilogram. There are 2.20462 pounds in a kilogram, so the child's weight in kilograms is 55 lb ÷ 2.20462 lb/kg ≈ 24.9476 kg. The prescribed drug dosage is 0.05 mg per kilogram. Multiplying the child's weight in kilograms by the dosage per kilogram gives us the total dosage required: 0.05 mg/kg × 24.9476 kg ≈ 1.24738 mg per dose. Therefore, the child should receive approximately 1.25 mg of the drug for each dose.