IV problem help

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I'm a first semester student and my teacher sort of through IV problems into our homework without teaching us how to do them :uhoh3:

My question is...

An IV is running by gravity at a rate of 11gtt/min. Assuming the drop factor of the drip chamber is 15gtt/mL, how long will it take a 500mL IV bag to drain completely?

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

This is basic algebra. You should try it on your own and then someone can help you if still are having trouble.

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One of the first things we do is to take drops per minute and convert it to mL/hr. After you know that, it's easy.

You know how many drops are going in per minute, so how many drops are going in every hour? Once you know that, it's easy to calculate how many mL are going in every hour. If you can get that far, you'll be able to figure out how many hours it will take to infuse 500 mL.

You might also look up something known as dimensional analysis, which is what a lot of people would use to solve this type of problem.

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volume

---------- = hours

rate

Does that help?

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11hours.

Were were taught (Drop factor/time in minutes) x (volume in mL) = drops per minutes --> 11hours

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Specializes in Infusion.

Okay, how many total drips are in that 500 ml bag?

Okay, how many drips per hour is that IV running at?

Now divide the top over the bottom, what do you get? Hint: it won't be a whole number.

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