Question

Calculate the following problem. Remember to round off the answer to the nearest whole number, because fractions of a drop are to be avoided when calculating IV drip rates.

Order: 1000 mL of D51/2NS (dextrose 5% in 0.45% sodium chloride) in 8 hours
Available: 1 liter of D51/2NS (dextrose 5% in 0.45% sodium chloride); IV macrodrip tubing 10 gtt per milliliter
The patient should receive ______ gtt per minute.

Answer 1

IV flow rate (ggt/min) required for the patient = 21 ggt/min to the nearest whole number

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate IV flow rate or the drops per minute, the drop factor is needed.

The drop factor is the number of drops in one mL of solution, and is printed on the IV tubing package.

The formula for calculating the IV flow rate (drip rate) is given as;

IV flow rate (ggt/min) = {total volume (mL) / time (min)} * drop factor (gtts/mL)

From the given values in the question, drop factor = 10 ggt/mL; time in minutes = 8 hours * 60 minutes/hour = 480 minutes; volume of IV fliud = 1 litre = 1000 mL

Therefore, IV flow rate (ggt/min) = (1000/480) * 10 = 20.33

IV flow rate (ggt/min) required for the patient = 21 ggt/min to the nearest whole number