Question

the client has been prescribed a 4 gram bolus of magnesium sulfate to run over 20 minutes. it arrives from the pharmacy diluted in 250 ml of normal saline. what rate does the nurse set the iv pump to run the bolus? (enter a whole number, round as needed. )

Answer 1

The nurse should set the IV pump to run at a rate of 12.5 ml/min.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the rate at which the nurse should set the IV pump, we need to relate the dosage, the time, and the volume of the solution. In this case, the client has been prescribed a 4 gram bolus of magnesium sulfate to run over 20 minutes, and it arrives from the pharmacy diluted in 250 ml of normal saline. To find the rate, we can divide the volume (250 ml) by the time (20 minutes). This gives us a rate of 12.5 ml/min. Therefore, the nurse should set the IV pump to run at a rate of 12.5 ml/min to administer the bolus.

Answer 2

The IV pump rate for a 4 gram bolus of magnesium sulfate to run over 20 minutes with a total volume of 250 mL should be set at 750 mL/hr.

To calculate the IV pump rate for a magnesium sulfate bolus of 4 grams to be administered over 20 minutes, we need to know the total volume of the IV fluid which is 250 mL.

Since the entire 250 mL should be administered in 20 minutes, we first convert minutes to hours because infusion pumps are calibrated in mL per hour. Thus, 20 minutes is ⅓ of an hour.

To find the infusion rate in mL/hour, we use the formula:

• Infusion rate (mL/hr) = Total volume (mL) / Time (hr)
• Infusion rate = 250 mL / (⅓ hr)
• Infusion rate = 250 mL / 0.333hr
• Infusion rate = 750 mL/hr

Therefore, the nurse should set the IV pump to run at a rate of 750 mL/hr to administer a 4 gram bolus of magnesium sulfate diluted in 250 mL of normal saline over 20 minutes.