Calculating IV completion time

Published

Hi everyone! I've got a pass/fail dosage exam this week and I'm stuck on a practice problem.

Give Gentamycin 60mg IV in 100mL of DW at 6am. If the flow rate on the infusion pump is set at 150 ml/hr, what time will the IV be complete?

I know that the answer is 6:40am (at least that's what I was given with my answer key for a practice exam), but I'm completely stuck as to how to reach that answer. Thanks in advance for the help!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

think about what you know first --- if you are giving 100 mL at a rate of 150 mL/hr then you know it will take less than an hour to give the infusion... so you will want to find out how many minutes it will take to give the infusion:

figure out what fraction of an hour it will take by dividing the total volume of the infusion by the rate

then multiply by 60 to get the number of minutes.

add these minutes to the start time and you will find the completion time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion