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I am struggling with this math porblem. Could any one help me on this please.

-> an infant weighing 6.6 lb is receiving 80 ml. per kilogram of body weight per day via IV. Drop factor is 60. Give how many gtts/min?

Please send me the info and/or posted here with the steps or approach to solve it.

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

an infant weighing 6.6 lb is receiving 80 ml. per kilogram of body weight per day via iv. drop factor is 60. give how many gtts/min?

dose desired
: 80ml/kg/24 hours

patient weight
: 6.6 pounds

conversion factor
: 2.2 pounds = 1 kilogram

conversion factor
: 1 hour = 60 minutes

drop factor
: 60 gtts = 1 ml

80 ml/kg
(dose desired)
x 6.6 lbs/24 hours
(pt. weight and dose desired)
x 1 kg/2.2 lb
(conversion factor) x
1 hour/60 minutes
(conversion factor)
x 60 gtts/1 ml
(drop factor of iv tubing)
=
10 gtts/minute
(drip rate)

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

I love dimensional analysis!

Excellently done, Daytonite! Thanks.

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thanks!!! so much. This is the 1st time a try this approach... I follow math instruction and yes it is 10gtts which is he the right answer. thanks... thanks so much. I have not seen this way of approaching the problems, but I like it, it is simple and gives the right answer... Currenlty I am using a book of Dosage Calculation A Ratio proportion approach. and the way you put it there is much better. and not going to discredit the book cause i have not gone thorugh it in order, i just try to match the problems I have with some sample in the book and work the way to figure it out... But I think the way you explained or showed could be apply to all or most of problems. Well. I will try these other problems and see. but thanks... right now I am loving you daytonite... thanks again...:bow:

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

:dancgrp:

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

You can do this differently by just reasoning it out. You have to convert the infant's weight in pounds to kilograms (kg). Divide the 6.6 pounds by 2.2 pounds (the conversion) and you end up with the infant's weight in kg, which is 3 kg. Restate the problem. You are going to give 80mL/kg/day, or 240ml/day (80mL x 3 kg). A day is 24 hours. Restate it. 240mL/24 hours. Without even realizing it you made a conversion of days to hours. You are dealing with an IV so you have to break this down into smaller increments, so reduce this fraction (240mL/24 hours) and you get 10mL/hour. Does something look interesting about that? Pediatric, or microdrip, tubing which has a drop factor of 60gtts/mL always comes out to be the same number of gtts/minute as the mL/hour that you are giving. This is only true of pediatric or microdrip tubing (just a little short cut for you to know). So, without going any further, I know that with 60gtt/mL tubing my 10mL/hour is going to be 10gtts/minute. But do the math, because the next problem might give you a different drop factor where a short cut won't work.

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You can do this differently by just reasoning it out. You have to convert the infant's weight in pounds to kilograms (kg). Divide the 6.6 pounds by 2.2 pounds (the conversion) and you end up with the infant's weight in kg, which is 3 kg. Restate the problem. You are going to give 80mL/kg/day, or 240ml/day (80mL x 3 kg). A day is 24 hours. Restate it. 240mL/24 hours. Without even realizing it you made a conversion of days to hours. You are dealing with an IV so you have to break this down into smaller increments, so reduce this fraction (240mL/24 hours) and you get 10mL/hour. Does something look interesting about that? Pediatric, or microdrip, tubing which has a drop factor of 60gtts/mL always comes out to be the same number of gtts/minute as the mL/hour that you are giving. This is only true of pediatric or microdrip tubing (just a little short cut for you to know). So, without going any further, I know that with 60gtt/mL tubing my 10mL/hour is going to be 10gtts/minute. But do the math, because the next problem might give you a different drop factor where a short cut won't work.

daytonite I appreciate this explanation. and still working in grabing the concepts and and way to apply it. these way I like it better though cause it brakes the problem which also give me the benefit of working with short numbers in he operations. cause we are not allow calculator in the test. and just get 10 quesions in 50 minutes. I as concern of doing the division of the last part 31680 / 3168 = 10. . any ways thanks for these other way.

please don't mind if i post other problem that I brake my head against with I definetely will look for your input. . Next week I will be taking GI/GU and having a math test, which I do not feel to confident for that math test. But I will do my best...

thanks for your input much...

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

there are medication math tutorials listed on post #3 of this sticky thread:

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