IV flow rate DDC question

[nurselambda]

Hi everyone

I have this drug dosage calculation problem that is giving a hard time.

Order: Nitropress 40 mg in 250 mL of D5W for 90 minutes

Drug parameter or range: 0.3 to 8 mcg/kg/min

Patient weighs: 75 kg

Available: 50 mg/ 2mL

a.  1 mg = ______ mcg

b. What is the drug parameter/range? 

c.  Is the Nitropress dose within normal range? ______

d.  Drug calculation ______

e.  Determine the volumetric infusion rate

If some of you wouldn't mind giving their input, I would appreciate.

Thanks !IV

[Zyprexa_Ho]

A. Use Google

B. Read the question

...

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

Just so you can check your work (someone correct me if I'm wrong), I got: Safe dose, 1.6mL of med, and 167.7 mL/min.

[anathema, ADN, RN]

Hi everyone

I have this drug dosage calculation problem that is giving a hard time.

Order: Nitropress 40 mg in 250 mL of D5W for 90 minutes

Drug parameter or range: 0.3 to 8 mcg/kg/min

Patient weighs: 75 kg

Available: 50 mg/ 2mL

a.  1 mg = ______ mcg

b. What is the drug parameter/range? 

c.  Is the Nitropress dose within normal range? ______

d.  Drug calculation ______

e.  Determine the volumetric infusion rate

If some of you wouldn't mind giving their input, I would appreciate.

Thanks !IV

What exactly are you having trouble with?

[anathema, ADN, RN]

Just so you can check your work (someone correct me if I'm wrong), I got: Safe dose, 1.6mL of med, and 167.7 mL/min.

It is definitly not 167.7 mL/min. You are supposed to administer the fluids/med over 90 minutes, not 1.5 minutes (I think you did the calc based off of hours, not minutes). 1.6 mL is the patient dose, not the safe dosage range.

[NICUismylife, ADN, BSN, RN]

It is definitly not 167.7 mL/min. You are supposed to administer the fluids/med over 90 minutes, not 1.5 minutes (I think you did the calc based off of hours, not minutes). 1.6 mL is the patient dose, not the safe dosage range.

lol. Yes. mL/hr!!! And I did not provide the safe dosage range, pp should be able to figure that out on their own. I was just verifying that it IS a safe dose and the actual amount of med is 1.6 mL. Was just trying to provide the basic info to check work without doing the entire problem for the OP.

[nurselambda]

Where I get confused is when calculating the infusion rate, the volume to infuse is only the diluent (250 mL of D5W), or the diluent (250 mg) AND the drug (1.6 mL) ?

[anathema, ADN, RN]

Where I get confused is when calculating the infusion rate, the volume to infuse is only the diluent (250 mL of D5W), or the diluent (250 mg) AND the drug (1.6 mL) ?

Run the calculation both ways. What is the difference? What is the infusion rate if you run 251.6 mL over 90 minutes vs if you run 250 mL over 90 minutes? Will it make a difference to the patient?