Question

A patient is to receive 1,000 mL of 5% dextrose in lactated Ringer's over 8 hours. Using tubing with a drop factor of 15 gtt/mL, the nurse should regulate the fluid to infuse at how many drops per minute?

1) 20 gtt/min
2) 30 gtt/min
3) 40 gtt/min
4) 50 gtt/min

Answer 1

To calculate the infusion rate, multiply the total volume by the drop factor and divide by the total infusion time in minutes. For this scenario, the correct infusion rate is approximately 31 gtt/min, so the nurse should regulate the fluid to infuse at about 30 gtt/min.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the rate of infusion in drops per minute for a patient's IV, we will use the given information: 1,000 mL of 5% dextrose in lactated Ringer's to be administered over 8 hours, with IV tubing that has a drop factor of 15 gtt/mL. The formula to calculate the flow rate is:

Flow rate (gtt/min) = (Volume in mL × Drop factor) / (Time in minutes)

First, convert the infusion time from hours to minutes:

8 hours × 60 minutes/hour = 480 minutes

Now, calculate the flow rate:

Flow rate (gtt/min) = (1,000 mL × 15 gtt/mL) / 480 minutes = 31.25 gtt/min

The nurse should, therefore, regulate the fluid to infuse at approximately 31 gtt/min, which is closest to the first option. The choices provided in the question do not include this exact number, but the closest answer to 31 gtt/min would commonly be rounded to 30 gtt/min, which is option 2.