Final answer:
To calculate the drip rate for the Dopamine infusion, first convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms. Then calculate the total dose per minute based on the ordered dose per kilogram. Calculate the concentration of dopamine in the available solution. Finally, calculate the number of drops per minute by converting the dose per minute to milliliters per minute and multiplying by the number of drops per milliliter.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the drip rate, we need to convert the weight of the patient from pounds to kilograms. The patient weighs 176 pounds, which is approximately 80 kilograms. The ordered dose is 5 mcg/kg/min, so we need to calculate the total dose per minute. The total dose per minute would be 5 mcg × 80 kg = 400 mcg/min.
Dopamine is available in a solution of 400 mg, and we need to calculate how much dopamine is in 1 mL. To do this, we divide 400 mg by the volume in mL (which is the total volume - 500 mL - divided by the total mass - 400 mg), which gives us 400 mg / 500 mL = 0.8 mg/mL.
Next, we need to calculate the number of drops per minute. We know that 1 mL contains 20 drops. Therefore, the dose we calculated earlier (400 mcg/min) needs to be converted to mL/min by dividing it by the concentration of dopamine in 1 mL (0.8 mg/mL) and then multiplying by the number of drops per mL (20 drops/mL):
Dose (mL/min) = 400 mcg/min ÷ 0.8 mg/mL × 20 drops/mL = 1000 drops/min.
Therefore, you would administer 1000 drops per minute.