Help re:dosage calculation

[Amandine]

Hi,

Sorry if this is not the right section to post in but I have just joined :)

Anyway I need help with a calculation exercice I have been given.

Here it is:

Potassium Chloride 30mEq added to 1000 ml of 5% dextrose. Supply: 30 ml vial of Potassium Chloride 2mEq / ml. How many ml of potassium Chloride is the correct amount?

My answer would be 15 ml but my husband (not at all in the health care field I want to add) tells me it's wrong and makes me doubt.

Any help?

[scrmblr]

15 would be my answer too.

what is your husbands rationale?

[Amandine]

well it doesn't really have to be honnest, maybe that it would be too simple. Does anybody know what mEq stand for?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Your husband is wrong. You are correct. Using the old dose desired over dose on hand formula you get:

30 mEq (

dose desired

)

/

2 mEq (

dose on hand

)

x

1 ml (

amount the dose on hand comes in

)

=

15 ml.

I do a lot of demonstration of the dimensional analysis way of doing these drug calculations on the Student Assistance Forum. In the case of this math problem, the label "mEq" cancels out so that the only label you are left with is the "ml's" which is how you want the answer given, in ml's.

[RazorbackRN, BSN, RN]

15 ml is correct.

mEq stands for millequivalants

[AZ_Ogre]

Let your husband know in this case his calculator is broke. Your answer is correct.

Have faith in yourself :)

[Amandine]

Aw thank you all! It was really bothering me as I'm usually good in calculations but he somehow thought I had it too easy to be correct!

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

does anybody know what meq stand for?

here are two websites with the definition of what a milliequivalent (meq) is:

http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section21/chapter297/297a.jsp

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chemlab/chem3-5/ionx1/overview/faq.html