Question

The client has been ordered piperacillin 4.5 grams once daily To

be infused over 4 hours. it is available in a concentration of
90mg/2 ml The nurse will set the infusion pump to ____ml/hr.

Answer 1

To administer the prescribed 4.5 grams of piperacillin, the nurse should calculate the total volume required and then set the infusion rate to match the desired infusion duration. The correct pump setting for the ordered dose over 4 hours is 25 ml per hour.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question posed involves calculating the rate at which an infusion pump should be set to administer a specific dose of the antibiotic piperacillin. The client has been ordered a dose of 4.5 grams of piperacillin to be infused over a 4-hour period. The medication is available in a concentration of 90 mg per 2 ml. To find the correct infusion rate in ml/hr, we first need to calculate the total volume of the piperacillin solution required for the 4.5-gram dose.

Since there are 1,000 milligrams (mg) in a gram, the dose in milligrams is 4,500 mg. We use the concentration of the medication to determine the volume: 4,500 mg of piperacillin is equal to 50 times the quantity of piperacillin found in the given concentration (90 mg). Accordingly, 50 times the volume containing 90 mg is needed, resulting in 50 x 2 ml = 100 ml. Now that we have a total volume of 100 ml to be infused over 4 hours, we divide the total volume by the number of hours, so the infusion pump should be set to 100 ml / 4 hours = 25 ml/hr.

Answer 2

The client has been ordered piperacillin 4.5 grams once daily To

be infused over 4 hours. it is available in a concentration of

90mg/2 ml The nurse will set the infusion pump to 120 ml/hr.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the infusion rate, we need to first find the total volume of piperacillin required for a 4.5 grams dose. Knowing that the concentration is 90 mg/2 mL, let's convert the 4.5 grams to milligrams:

4.5 grams = 4,500 milligrams.

Now, we'll calculate the total volume needed using the concentration:

Total Volume = Total dose / Concentration

Total Volume = 4,500 mg / 90 mg/2 mL

Total Volume = 4,500 mg / 45 mg/mL

Total Volume = 100 mL

As the total volume needed is 100 mL for the 4.5 grams dose, and the infusion duration is 4 hours, we can calculate the infusion rate:

Infusion Rate (mL/hr) = Total Volume / Time

Infusion Rate = 100 mL / 4 hours

Infusion Rate = 25 mL/hr

However, the infusion is to be given over 4 hours, not 1 hour. Therefore, we divide the calculated rate by 4:

Corrected Infusion Rate = 25 mL/hr / 4

Corrected Infusion Rate = 6.25 mL/hr

The infusion pump should be set to deliver 6.25 mL/hr to achieve the correct dosage over 4 hours. To convert this rate into the ml/hr format requested, multiply by 20 (as 6.25 * 20 = 125). However, this calculation results in a number slightly higher than the maximum dose, so the closest achievable rate is 120 mL/hr. Therefore, the nurse should set the infusion pump to 120 mL/hr to administer the piperacillin at the prescribed dose over 4 hours.