Help.. I Forgot How to do These Dosage Calculation Problems.

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A patient has an order for NS 1000ml at a rate of 150ml per hour. Calculate the flow rate of the NS if the drop factor is 20.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

20 gtts per/ml would mean 3000gtts/hr(150 x 20=3000).3000 divided by 60=50. The rate would be 50 gtts/minute.

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Thanks so much!

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There is an easier way to that. The flow rate is already given to you. 150ml/hr. just divide 150 by 3 (drop factor is 20 and 20 goes into 60 three times)

If drop rate is "" divide by:

10 divide by 6

15 divide by 4

20 divide by 3

60 divide by 1

This is how I was taught just divide your flow rate by whatever number goes with your drop factor.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Honestly, I think the best way is to set up every dosage problem the same way, EVERY time. It doesn't matter what the units are. Here's what I do.

Step 1: Determine what the desired result is. In this case.... gtt/min Start with that, since that's what we want to end up with.

Step 2: Look at the info provided, does any of it have either part of the desired result in it already?

Step 3: Set up the equation until all things cancel out except the desired result. Remember, what's on the bottom should cancel out with another one on the top if it is not part of the desired result.

Looking for gtt/min?

( 20gtt / 1 mL ) x ( 150 mL / hr ) x ( 1 hr / 60 min ) = left with gtt/min (mL and hr both cancel each out since one's on top the other on bottom)

(20 x 150) / 60 = 50 gtt / min

Might not work for everyone, but I was previously a chemist. So I like using the old school chem way to convert units.

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This is the way we learned and I think it's pretty easy, just use this formula. rate/time in (min.) x drop factor

so it would look like this. 150/60x20= 50gtt/min.

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NursieSD, part of your problem is that you look at these numbers and can't think how to cram them into a formula. It's a common problem.

Try this, the next time you have any sort of medication algebra (yep, that's what it is) problem.

Look at the question and break it down verbally, in your head, or on paper if you have to.

"Hmm, I have to give 150cc per hour. OK, got that."

"IV tubing makes drops. If mine makes twenty drops per cc, how many drops is that in an hour?" (huge number-- 20 x 150 = 3000)

"But wait, I don't care about the hour. How many drops in a minute? Well, there are 60 minutes in an hour. So if I divided that huge number by sixty, that would tell me how many drops in a minute." 3000 / 60 = 50.

See, it's not so hard if you know where you're going before you start running. :)

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

DosageHelp.com - Helping Nursing Students Learn Dosage Calculations

Formula:

[TABLE=class: formula]

[TR]

[TD] [TABLE=class: fraction]

[TR]

[TD=class: numerator] Volume (mL)

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD=class: denominator] Time (min) [/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[/TD]

[TD] x Drop Factor (gtts/mL) = Y (Flow Rate in gtts/min)[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

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Wheeew!  what a relief to find this post.  I haven't done calcs for a while [maybe 10 or more] and recently came across a heparin drip calculation.  I actually forgot how to format them! Panicked and thought I had early dementia ...which BTW is possible being I am 58.

Anyway the heparin IV format is :

Heparin Infusion Rate:Total Units (in IV bag) =

[Units/hour Total Volume (ml)]     divided by     [X (ml/hour)]

And the sample problem is here.

 

heparin_drip_calculation_reference.pdf

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