Question

Order states: Dopamine® 400 mg in 250 mL D5W administer 5 mcg/kg/min IV. How many mL/hr will you administer?

Answer 1

To find the IV flow rate of Dopamine® administration in mL/hr, convert the dosage to mcg/hr based on patient weight, convert medication concentration from mg to mcg/mL, and divide the dosage by concentration.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the IV flow rate of Dopamine® in mL/hr for a given dosage in mcg/kg/min, we need to use the following formula:

• Total mcg = (patient's weight in kg) × (dosage in mcg/kg/min) × 60 min/hr
• Concentration of solution = (amount of medication in mg) × (1,000 mcg/mg) / (total volume of solution in mL)
• IV flow rate in mL/hr = Total mcg / Concentration of solution

Step-by-step explanation:

1. First, convert the dosage from mcg/kg/min to mcg/hr for a specific patient's weight.
2. Next, convert the medication's concentration from mg to mcg/mL.
3. Finally, divide the total mcg/hr (step 1) by the medication's concentration in mcg/mL (step 2) to find the flow rate in mL/hr.