Question

A child is entered into the hospital after ingesting 12 aspirin tablets. The Merck index indicates that renal(kidney) failure can occur if as little as 3 grams are ingested, and may be fatal if as much as 10 grams are eaten. If each aspirin tablet continues 300mg of aspirin, how much aspirin in grams has the child ingested

Answer 1

A child who has ingested 12 aspirin tablets, with each tablet containing 300 mg, has ingested a total of 3.6 grams of aspirin, which exceeds the amount that may cause renal failure according to the Merck index.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ability to convert from one unit to another is an important skill, particularly in understanding medication dosages. If a child has ingested 12 aspirin tablets and each tablet contains 300 mg of aspirin, the total amount ingested can be calculated by multiplying the number of tablets by the amount of aspirin per tablet.

To calculate the total milligrams (mg) the child has ingested: 12 tablets x 300 mg/tablet = 3600 mg.

Since there are 1000 mg in 1 gram (g), we then convert the total ingestion from milligrams to grams:

3600 mg ÷ 1000 mg/g = 3.6 grams of aspirin.

This means the child ingested 3.6 grams, which is above the amount that can cause kidney failure according to the Merck index.