Heparin drip math calculation

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The question is:

The heparin drip is infusing at 19ml/hr. Available to the nurse is 250ml of D5W with 25,000 units of heparin. The IV tubing delivers 12gtts/minute. How many units/hour is the client receiving?

Not sure how to calculate this. Any help with this sort of math question would be great! I understand how to do ml/hr with heparin drips, but am confused on units/hr.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Derm, OB.
The question is:

The heparin drip is infusing at 19ml/hr. Available to the nurse is 250ml of D5W with 25,000 units of heparin. The IV tubing delivers 12gtts/minute. How many units/hour is the client receiving?

Not sure how to calculate this. Any help with this sort of math question would be great! I understand how to do ml/hr with heparin drips, but am confused on units/hr.

unit/hr= 25,000u/250ml x 19ml/1hr = 475,000/250 = 1900u/hr

what I get. Hope that helps.

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That's what I got the first time too. I just wasn't sure if I was doing it correctly...Hopefully it's the right answer! Thanks for taking the time to do the problem. It's much appreciated :)

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Specializes in Cardiac, Derm, OB.
That's what I got the first time too. I just wasn't sure if I was doing it correctly...Hopefully it's the right answer! Thanks for taking the time to do the problem. It's much appreciated :)

No problem. It always helps to have someone else look at it with fresh eyes. The "Dimensional Analysis" book by Curren is really good at walking you through step by step of each math problem.

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The key to answering this problem is looking at what you have and what they want

You are infusing at 19mL/hr

You have 250mL D5W containing 25,000 units

They want units /hr.

See the tubing and drip factor are not involved.

So first, 25000u/250mL = 100u/mL x 19mL/hr = 1,900u/hr

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