Question

A healthcare provider prescribes a continuous infusion of 0.9% sodium chloride with pancuronium (Pavulon) 25 mg/250 ml at a rate of 0.1 mg/kg/hr for a client with coronary artery bypass grafting. The client weighs 78 kg. The practical nurse should program the infusion pump to deliver how many ml/hour? (Enter numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth.)

Answer 1

To calculate the infusion rate, we need to use the following formula:

Infusion rate (mL/hour) = Total volume (mL) x Infusion rate (mL/hour) / Time (hour)

First, let's calculate the client's infusion rate in mg/hour:

Infusion rate (mg/hour) = 0.1 mg/kg/hour x 78 kg = 7.8 mg/hour

Now, let's convert the pancuronium dose to mg/mL:

25 mg/250 mL = 0.1 mg/mL

To calculate the total volume of the infusion, we need to assume a time frame. Let's assume that the client needs the infusion for 1 hour. Then:

Total volume (mL) = Infusion rate (mg/hour) / Dose (mg/mL) = 7.8 mg/hour / 0.1 mg/mL = 78 mL/hour

Therefore, the practical nurse should program the infusion pump to deliver 78 ml/hour.

Answer 2

To calculate the infusion rate, we need to use the formula:

Infusion rate (ml/hour) = (dose ordered * patient weight * 60) / (drug concentration * 1000)

where:

Dose ordered is the prescribed dose of the drug per unit of time (0.1 mg/kg/hr in this case).

Patient weight is the weight of the client (78 kg in this case).

Drug concentration is the concentration of the drug in the solution (25 mg/250 ml or 0.1 mg/ml in this case).

Substituting the values we have:

Infusion rate = (0.1 mg/kg/hr) * (78 kg) * 60 / (0.1 mg/ml * 1000)

Simplifying:

Infusion rate = 4.68 ml/hour

Therefore, the practical nurse should program the infusion pump to deliver 4.68 ml/hour (rounded to the nearest tenth).