Question

A nurse is preparing to administer epinephrine 8 mcg/min by continuous IV infusion. Available is epinephrine 1 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 epinephrine at a rate of 8 mcg/min using a solution of 1 mg/250 ml, the IV pump should be set to deliver 120 ml/hr.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking how to calculate the infusion rate in milliliters per hour (ml/hr) for a medication called epinephrine when given the dosage in micrograms per minute (mcg/min) and the concentration of the drug in a solution. To do so, one must convert the dosage from mcg/min to mg/hr since the available solution is measured in mg. Then, calculate the volume of the solution needed to deliver the required dose.

First, convert the ordered dose to mg/hr:
8 mcg/min × 60 minutes = 480 mcg/hr = 0.48 mg/hr

Then calculate the infusion rate using the concentration:
1 mg in 250 ml implies that 0.48 mg would be in (0.48 mg/1 mg) × 250 ml = 120 ml.

Thus, the IV pump should be set to deliver 120 ml/hr to administer epinephrine at a rate of 8 mcg/min.