Final answer:
To calculate the dosing regimen for the patient, divide the total daily dose of 4000mg by 2 and then by the amount of calcium per tablet to determine how many tablets to take. To check if the patient's calcium level is within the normal range, convert the units from meq/L to mg/dL using the conversion factor.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the dosing regimen for the patient, we need to convert 100meq of elemental calcium to milligrams. Since the atomic weight of calcium (AW of Ca) is 40, 1 meq of calcium is equal to 40mg. Therefore, 100meq of calcium is equal to 4000mg. The patient is to continue an equivalent oral daily dose, divided 2-3 times a day. Let's assume the patient will take the calcium tablets twice a day. To calculate the dose per tablet, we divide the total daily dose of 4000mg by 2, resulting in 2000mg per tablet. Since the product pictured here contains 500mg of calcium per tablet, the patient should take 4 tablets twice a day.
To check if the patient's serum calcium level of 4meq/L is within the normal range, we need to convert the units to mg/dL. Since 1meq of calcium is equal to 40mg, 4meq is equal to 160mg. Using the conversion factor of 1mg/dL = 100mg/L, we can convert 160mg/L to mg/dL, which is equal to 1.6mg/dL. Therefore, the patient's calcium level of 4meq/L falls within the normal range of 8.5-10.5mg/dL.