CLinical Calculations ???

Nursing Students General Students

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I have gotten quite good at the whole calculations thing using dimensional analysis. The one question that I know will be on our test next week and I can not find anything in the book is on Enteral Feeding dilutions. Example below...

Ensure is available in 8oz cans. How many cc's of water must be added to 1 can of formula to make 3/4 strength solution?

Any help with the right (or logical) way to remember how to figure this out would be appreciated.

Thanks, dave :)

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Specializes in LDRP.
Ensure is available in 8oz cans. How many cc's of water must be added to 1 can of formula to make 3/4 strength solution?

8 oz-240cc's.

if they want 3/4 strength, then they want 3 parts of ensure(the feeding is always the top # of the fraction) to 1 part water(difference btw top adn bottom number is how many parts water), for a total of 4 parts (equal to bottom number of fraction)

so 240cc is 3/4 of what?

240/x = 3/4 cross multiply fractions to get 3x=960 then divide. 960/3=320.

so that makes 320 your total amount of feeding, water included. 240 of that is ensure, 80 is water. you know this is right when you see that 320 divided by 4 parts is 80.

so 80*3=240. your 240 cc can of ensure is 3/4 of the 320, 80cc water is 1/4.

make sense?

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Thank you very much...

The answer was there the whole time.

dave :)

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