Question

1. The recommended maintenance dose of BECLOVENT (beclomethasone dipropionate), an aerosolized inhalant, is 100 mcg administered twice daily. The commercial inhaler delivers 50 mcg per metered inhalation and contains 200 inhalations. How many inhalers should be dispensed to a patient if a 60-day supply is prescribed?

2. A pediatric stool softener contains 393.3 mg of docusate sodium in each four fluid ounce (118 mL) container. If the labeled dose is two tablespoonfuls for a 5-year-old child, how many milligrams of docusate sodium would be contained per dose?

Answer 1

To calculate the number of inhalers needed for a 60-day supply of BECLOVENT, divide the total daily dose by the dose per inhalation and multiply by the number of days. For the pediatric stool softener, convert the labeled dose to milliliters and calculate the amount of docusate sodium per dose.

Step-by-step explanation:

1. To determine the number of inhalers needed for a 60-day supply, we first need to calculate the number of daily inhalations. The recommended dose is 100 mcg administered twice daily, so the total daily dose is 200 mcg. The commercial inhaler delivers 50 mcg per inhalation, so the number of inhalations needed per day is 200 mcg / 50 mcg = 4 inhalations. Therefore, for a 60-day supply, the patient would need 4 inhalations x 60 days = 240 inhalations. Each inhaler contains 200 inhalations, so the number of inhalers that should be dispensed is 240 inhalations / 200 inhalations per inhaler = 1.2 inhalers. Since inhalers cannot be dispensed in fractional amounts, 2 inhalers should be dispensed to the patient.

2. To determine the amount of docusate sodium contained per dose, we first need to convert tablespoons to milliliters. One tablespoon is equal to 14.79 mL, so two tablespoonfuls would be 2 x 14.79 mL = 29.58 mL. Next, we can calculate the amount of docusate sodium contained in this volume. The pediatric stool softener contains 393.3 mg of docusate sodium in 118 mL, so the amount contained in 29.58 mL would be (29.58 mL / 118 mL) x 393.3 mg = 98.33 mg. Therefore, 98.33 mg of docusate sodium would be contained per dose.