Question

The order is for IV 100 mL to infuse at 10 mL per hour, and the drop factor is 15. How many drops per minute will be set (rounded to the nearest whole number)?

Answer 1

To calculate the drops per minute for an IV infusion, multiply the flow rate in mL per hour with the drop factor, then divide by 60. For an IV set at 10 mL/hour with a drop factor of 15, the formula yields 2.5 drops per minute, which rounds to 3 drops per minute.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student asked about calculating the drops per minute for an IV infusion set at a specific flow rate with a given drop factor. To find the number of drops per minute, we use the formula:

drops per minute = (mL per hour × drop factor) ÷ 60

For the given order of IV 100 mL to infuse at 10 mL per hour with a drop factor of 15 gtt/mL, the calculation is:

(10 mL/hour × 15 gtt/mL) ÷ 60 minutes/hour = 2.5 gtt/minute

This value must then be rounded to the nearest whole number, which is: 3 drops per minute.