Another Medication Calculation Question

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Specializes in Anesthesia, CCRN, SRNA.

Dobutamine is available in 250mg of 250ml of solution. It is being administered at 15gtt/min. The patient weights 70kg.

How many mcg per kg is the patient receiving per minute?

I had this on a test today and couldn't figure it out.

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Specializes in OB, NP, Nurse Educator.

What is the calibration on the tubing?

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Specializes in Anesthesia, CCRN, SRNA.

It wasn't given

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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.

17.86?

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Specializes in Emergency.

what's the dose ordered 1mg/kg?

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

are you sure you've remembered all the parts of this problem correctly? a solution of 250mg of dobutamine in 250ml of solution would be 1mg per 1ml, or 1000mcg per 1ml. (1 mg = 1000mcg) assuming that it is being given by microdrip tubing, which is how dobutamine is usually given, that would be 250mcg per minute (15 microdrops per 60 seconds reduces to 1/4 of 1000mcg). the ratio 250mcg per 70kg would be 4 mcg/kg of body weight per minute (rounded off). however, you're not supposed to assume anything. so, there is missing information here--like the kind of tubing being used.

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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.

yeah, my answer had a left-over in the computation.

1/70kg x 1000mcg/1mg x 250mg/200ml = 250,000/14,000 = 17.86

however, the mls on the bottom are left over, not cancelled, and that tells me that there is something left out.

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