Question

A nurse is preparing to administer nitroprusside 4 mcg/kg/min by continuous IV infusion to a client who weighs 57 kg. Available is nitroprusside 50 mg in 250 ml dextrose 5% in water (D5W). The nurse should set the IV pump to deliver how many ml/hr?

Answer 1

To administer nitroprusside at a dosage of 4 mcg/kg/min to a 57 kg patient, the nurse should set the IV pump to 68.4 mL/hr based on the concentration of nitroprusside available.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is required to set up an IV pump to deliver nitroprusside at a dosage of 4 mcg/kg/min to a patient who weighs 57 kg. The nitroprusside concentration is 50 mg in 250 mL D5W. To calculate the flow rate in mL/hr, we use the following steps:

1. 
   
3. First, convert the dosage from mcg/kg/min to mg/hr:
   
   (4 mcg/kg/min) × (57 kg) = 228 mcg/min = 0.228 mg/min
4. 
   
6. Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, convert this to mg/hr:
   
   0.228 mg/min × 60 min/hr = 13.68 mg/hr
7. 
   
9. Next, calculate the volume of solution needed to provide 13.68 mg of nitroprusside:
   
   (250 mL / 50 mg) × 13.68 mg = 68.4 mL/hr

Therefore, the nurse should set the IV pump to 68.4 mL/hr to deliver a continuous infusion of nitroprusside at the prescribed rate.