Question

Medical command has ordered you to start a Dopamine drip at 5 mcg/kg/min. Your patient weighs 176 pounds. Available you have 400 mg of dopamine, a 500 cc bag, and a mini drip set. How many drops per minute will you give?

Concentration [__B__]

Answer 1

To administer a dopamine infusion at 5 mcg/kg/min for a 176-pound patient using a 400 mg/500 cc solution with a mini drip set, the patient should receive 30 drops per minute.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the drops per minute for a dopamine drip, we need to consider the patient's weight in kilograms, the ordered dose in micrograms per kilogram per minute, the concentration of the dopamine solution, and the drop factor of the mini drip set.

First, we convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms:

• Patient's weight in pounds: 176 lb
• Kilograms in a pound: 2.2 lb/kg
• Patient's weight in kilograms: 176 lb ÷ 2.2 lb/kg = 80 kg

Next, we determine the hourly dose:

• Ordered dose: 5 mcg/kg/min
• Hourly dose = 5 mcg/kg/min × 60 min/hr × 80 kg = 24,000 mcg/hr

Now, with 400 mg of dopamine in 500 cc, we need to convert to micrograms to find the concentration:

• 400 mg × 1,000 mcg/mg = 400,000 mcg
• Concentration = 400,000 mcg ÷ 500 cc = 800 mcg/cc

The patient's hourly requirement of dopamine in milliliters:

• Required dopamine: 24,000 mcg/hr ÷ 800 mcg/cc = 30 cc/hr

Assuming a mini drip set has a drop factor of 60 drops per cc:

• Drops per minute = 30 cc/hr × 60 drops/cc ÷ 60 min/hr = 30 drops/min

The patient should receive 30 drops per minute using the mini drip set.