Infusion set rate issue.....

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I FIGURED IT OUT, WOOPS (dont I feel foolish)

Okay I thought I knew infusion set rates but then I got this question thrown at me and I cant for the life of me figure out why Im not doing this right. I know Im making it more difficult than it really is.

If a patient is to receive 1000mL of IV solution over 8 hours and four hours after the infusion has started 620mL remain. With the infusion set delivering 15gtt/mL, in order to recieve the remaining fluid within the prescribed time period (8 hours) the set should deliver how many drops per minute.

remianing fliud=620mL

Remining time in minutes=240minutes

infusion set=15gtt/mL

amount to infuse in ml / time to infuse in minutes *drip rate (which is unknow isnt it although the tubing being used is 15gtt/mL) so.....

620mL / 240 x drip rate (unknown)=

I know the answer is 39 but all be damned if I can see how to get to that answer, please help this little nursling!!!!

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nothing change really you just start problem over you now have to get rid of 620 ml in 4 hrs

volume= 620ml

gtts/ml= 15 drop factor

minutes= 240

volume 620 ml x 15 gtts/ml divide by 240 minutes= 38.75 gtts/min which is rounded to 39

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

if you do this problem by the factor label method (dimensional analysis) you set the problem up as a series of terms you multiply together in order to end up with a fraction for an answer that has the labels "gtts" in the numerator and "minute" in the denominator.

620 ml
/
240 minutes
(amount to give)
x
15 gtts
/
1 ml
(drip factor of iv tubing)
=
38.79 gtts/minute
(drip rate after doing the math and canceling out the label "ml" in numerator and denominator)
, or
39 gtts/minute
(drip rate, rounded off)

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Thank you for the help!

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