Question

A nurse is preparing to administer lidocaine 3 mg/min by continuous IV infusion. Available is 2 g lidocaine in 500 ml dextrose 5% in water (D5W). The nurse should set the IV pump to deliver how many ml/hr?

Answer 1

The IV pump should be set to 25 ml/hr to administer lidocaine at the prescribed rate of 3 mg/min, based on the concentration of the lidocaine solution.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should set the IV pump to deliver 25 ml/hr.

To calculate the required flow rate in ml/hr for a lidocaine IV infusion, we use the concentration of lidocaine provided in the medication (2 g lidocaine in 500 ml) and the physician's order (3 mg/min). First, we convert the total mass of lidocaine to milligrams: 2 g = 2000 mg. Then we calculate how many ml contain 3 mg of lidocaine by setting up a proportion: (2000 mg/500 ml) = (3 mg/x ml), which simplifies to x = (3 mg * 500 ml) / 2000 mg, resulting in 0.75 ml.

Therefore, for every minute, 0.75 ml should be administered. To find the hourly rate, we multiply by 60 minutes: 0.75 ml/min * 60 min/hr = 45 ml/hr.