Question

A patient is to be given 15.0 mg per kilogram of body weight twice a day. If the patient weighs 224 lbs, what dose should be given?

Answer 1

3.0 g daily dose

Step-by-step explanation:

First of all, the given dose is measured in milligrams per kilogram of body and the mass of this patient is given in pounds. This means we have to begin this problem by converting the units.

Convert the mass into kilograms:

`224~lbs\cdot (1~kg)/(2.205~lb) = 101.6~kg`

Knowing that the dose is 15.0 mg per kilogram of body, one dose is equal to:

`101.6~kg\cdot (15.0~mg)/(1~kg) = 1524~mg`

This is a single dose. If we wish to calculate the daily dose, since it's used twice, we get:

`1524~mg/dose\cdot 2~doses/day = 3048~mg = 3.0~g`