Question

You are to infuse NS 1000 mL in 8 hours. The drop factor of the available tubing is 60 gtt/mL. The IV is started at 1345 . At 1845 you see that 450 mL has infused. What should be the new rate of administration in gtt/min?

Answer 1

The new rate of administration for the IV fluid, which is normal saline, after adjustment should be 183.33 gtt/min. This rate is calculated based on the remaining volume to be infused and the remaining infusion time.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question posed involves calculating a new rate for an IV fluid administration after determining that the initial rate has not delivered the required volume in the expected time frame. The IV fluid in question is normal saline (NS) with a total volume of 1000 mL, intended to be infused in 8 hours. The drop factor is given as 60 gtt/mL. At a specific time checkpoint, it was observed that only 450 mL has been infused. To correct this and finish the infusion on time, a new rate of administration in gtt/min must be calculated.

Firstly, we establish the remaining volume and time:
Remaining volume = 1000 mL - 450 mL = 550 mL
Remaining time: Since the IV started at 1345 and it's now 1845, 5 hours have passed. The total time for infusion is 8 hours, so there are 3 hours left.

To calculate the new rate:
New rate (mL/hr) = Remaining volume / Remaining time
New rate (mL/hr) = 550 mL / 3 hr = 183.33 mL/hr

To convert mL/hr to gtt/min, we use the drop factor:
New rate (gtt/min) = (New rate in mL/hr) x (Drop factor) / 60
New rate (gtt/min) = 183.33 mL/hr x 60 gtt/mL / 60 = 183.33 gtt/min