Final answer:
To administer the prescribed dose of heparin, the infusion pump should be programmed to deliver 12 mL per hour.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the rate to program the infusion pump for the heparin dosage, we need to use the provided concentrations. Let's set up a proportion to find the correct infusion rate. The physician has ordered 1200 units of heparin per hour, and the bag is labeled with 25,000 units in 250 mL. This proportion can be expressed as:
1200 units : x mL = 25,000 units : 250 mL
By cross-multiplying, we get:
250 × 1200 = 25,000 × x
300,000 = 25,000x
Next, divide both sides by 25,000 to solve for x:
x = 300,000 / 25,000
x = 12
Therefore, you should program the infusion pump to deliver 12 mL per hour.