Question

Determine the flow rate to infuse 500mL of D^(5)W in 12 hours if the set delivers 15gtt (s)/(m)L ?

a. 5gtt (s)/(m)in
b. 10gtt (s)/(m)in
c. 15gttsimin
d. 20gtt (s)/(m)in

Answer 1

To infuse 500mL of D5W in 12 hours with a set that delivers 15 gtt/mL, the flow rate needs to be 10 gtt/min. This is calculated by converting the time to minutes and applying the formula for flow rate, which gives the result as 10.42 gtt/min, rounded down to 10 gtt/min. Option B is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks to determine the flow rate required to infuse 500mL of D5W in 12 hours using an infusion set that delivers 15 drops per mL (abbreviated as gtt/mL). To find the flow rate in drops per minute (gtt/min), we'll use the formula:

Flow Rate (in gtt/min) = (Volume (in mL) × Drop Factor (in gtt/mL)) / Time (in minutes)

Convert the time from hours to minutes: 12 hours × 60 minutes/hour = 720 minutes.

Apply the formula with the given values: (500 mL × 15 gtt/mL) / 720 minutes = 7500 gtt / 720 minutes = 10.42 gtt/min, which we can round to the nearest whole number as 10 gtt/min.

Therefore, the correct flow rate to infuse 500mL of D5W in 12 hours is 10 gtt/min, which corresponds to option b.