Math Calculations for last semester of Nursing Program

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Hello to all. My instructor sent out 2 pgs of practice problems and I am having a hard time figuring out the flow rates. I feel as if key items are missing (i.e. gtt/min or ml/hr and time to be infused)

If someone could help anyone please do!!!! I am going crazy because we have the exam on thursday and she sent it with no answer key.

I answered the first 2 of each section then stopped because honestly it does not make sense for me to answer them the way it is presented

Drug Calculation Practice Questions

Compute the flow rate for each of these medications administered by infusion pump.

  1. The patient has an order to receive Lidocaine (xylocaine) for PVC's. The pharmacy has sent you Lidocaine 2 grams IV in 1000 ml D5W at 4mg/min. What is the pump setting to deliver the desired dosage?

0.002mg/min???

  1. A patient weighing 154 pounds is ordered to have Dopamine at 15 mcg/kg/min. The pharmacy has sent you Dopamine 800 mg in 500 ml NS. What is the rate of infusion?

0.65625mg/min= 0.66mg/min???

  1. Your patient is ordered to have Tridil (nitroglycerine) for chest pain. The patient is to have 5 mcg/min. The pharmacy has sent 50mg in 500 ml of D5W. What is the rate of infusion?

  1. Your patient admitted with an exacerbation of asthma has an Aminophylline (theophylline) drip running at 6 ml/hr. The bag that is up is 500ml D5W with 2 grams of aminophylline. How much is the patient receiving?

  1. Your 220 pound patient has a dopamine drip running at 25 ml /hour. The bag that is hanging is 500 ml D5W with 900mg of dopamine. How much is the patient receiving?

Medication Calculation Practice Questions

Your patient is to start a dopamine drip due to severe hyptotension. The pharmacy has sent you a 250ml bag of NS with 400mg dopamine. What is the rate of infusion if the physician has ordered the following: 8mcg/kg for your client that weighs 186 pounds?

0.4227/hr???

How much would the patient be receiving if his pump was running at 11ml/hr?

I got 17.6/hr???

You have a client that is in atrial fibrillation. The doctor has ordered procainamide (Procaine, Pronestyl) IV. The order reads to give the patient 2 mg/min. The pharmacy has sent you a 500ml bag of D5W with 3gm of procainamide. What is the rate of infusion?

Hint: Milligrams/minute

6.6mg/hr???

If this patient's IV was running at 22ml/hr, how much medicine is he receiving?

No more hints...you can do it. To use the calculation sheet do the following. Look at the way the medications is ordered (mcg/kg/min; mcg/min; ml/hr) Look at how much medication you are adding to the bag (is it ordered in mg or grams). Fill in the blanks based on your orders.

Your patient has an Aminophylline drip of 500mg aminophylline in 250ml NS. How much if the patient receiving if his pump is running at 12ml/hr?

Your patient is complaining of chest pain. The doctor has ordered Tridil (NTG) at 5mcg/min. You have a 500ml bottle of D5W with 50mg of Tridil added. What is the rate of infusion?

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 20,908 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

This is an excellent website to help you figure these out. There are a couple of steps to get the desired answer.

DosageHelp.com - Helping Nursing Students Learn Dosage Calculations

and

http://www.davesems.com/files/drug_dose_calculations.pdf

You will get better at figuring out dosages and these sites are excellent! Dosage calculations are an integral part of nursing every day! Use these site and they will treach you haw to get the right answer. :)

WantingtheBest

10 Posts

So i looked it up and even though it is not mg/hr it can be calculated as mg/min? Did I happen to get the problems I answered correctly then??

Thank you for replying.

I re did problem #1 on drug calculation practice questions. I got 2mg/min.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 20,908 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

2 mg/min is the correct answer which is very different than 0.002mg/min but it is just only the partial answer....now you need to figure out how many cc's per hour to IV "drip rate" is a micro drip of 60. DosageHelp.com - Helping Nursing Students Learn Dosage Calculations - Volume/Time - IV mL Rate Questions The placement of the decimal point is a huge deal in nursing and especially for pediactric patients. Move that decimal point incorrectly and a child is OD and could die. Metric & English Unit Conversion - KBapps.com

You need to redu them all. Some may take several steps

Medical calculators, algorithms, pharmacokinetics, oncology This may not help you tonight but it will eventually...:)

morte, LPN, LVN

7,015 Posts

Explain to me how you came by this answer.............in other words, show your work..

So i looked it up and even though it is not mg/hr it can be calculated as mg/min? Did I happen to get the problems I answered correctly then??

Thank you for replying.

I re did problem #1 on drug calculation practice questions. I got 2mg/min.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 20,908 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I think the OP is talking about the website dosage and calculations for nursing students. If she uses it it will walk her step by step what to put where and teach what to do.

morte, LPN, LVN

7,015 Posts

understood the first part of her/his post. it was the second part that floored me. he/she did get it in another thread he/she has going.

studentmomme

9 Posts

Specializes in Practical nursing.

I'm not sure if I am doing this right...can someone please help me out??

Here's the problem...

Ordered Dilantin IV 375 mg now and then 50 mg/hr cont. infusion. It comes mixed in 1.5 Gm Dilantin in 1000 ml's NS bag. How many mg's per ml is in this mixture?

How many ml's per hour will you set the pump for the first NOW order/dosage infusion?

What will you set the lockout on the pump for the first NOW order?

How many ml's per hour will you set the pump after the first NOW infusion has infused for the next ordered continuous 50 mg/hr?

What will you set the lockout on the pump for this continuous infusion? (remember to calculate the original NOW order volume)

Cupcake89121

117 Posts

gerwrtrew

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