Question

A nurse is preparing to administer clindamycin 10 mg/kg PO divided in equal doses every 8 hr to a toddler who weighs 30 lb. Available is clindamycin oral suspension 75 mg/5mL. How many mL should the nurse administer per dose?

Answer 1

To administer the correct dose of clindamycin to a toddler weighing 30 lb, the nurse should give approximately 3.03 mL of clindamycin oral suspension 75 mg/5 mL per dose, every 8 hours.

Step-by-step explanation:

The calculation for the clindamycin dose for a toddler weighing 30 lb involves converting the weight to kilograms, calculating the total daily dose based on the weight, and then dividing this dose by the number of administered doses per day to find the dose per administration. The toddler's weight of 30 lb is first converted to kilograms by dividing it by 2.2, giving approximately 13.64 kg. The dosage of 10 mg/kg is then multiplied by 13.64 kg, resulting in a total daily dose of 136.4 mg.

Since the dose is divided into equal doses every 8 hours, which amounts to three doses a day, the total daily dose is divided by 3, giving 45.47 mg per dose. To find out how many mL of clindamycin oral suspension (75 mg/5 mL) should be administered per dose, set up a proportion where 75 mg corresponds to 5 mL, and 45.47 mg corresponds to x mL. By solving this proportion (75 mg / 5 mL = 45.47 mg / x mL), you find that x equals 3.03 mL, which is the volume of oral suspension the nurse should administer per dose to the toddler.