Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

allnurses

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.
Discussion

Need Dimensional Analysis Help!!

Please help....I cannot figure out how to do this one. The answer is 3 cc. Need DA method. Thanks!!

A Nitroglycerin drip is ordered for your patient to control his chest pain. The concdentration is 100 mg in 250 cc D5W. Order is to begin the infusion at 20 mcg/min. What is the rate you would begin the infusion on the infusion pump?

Featured Replies

please help....i cannot figure out how to do this one. the answer is 3 cc. need da method. thanks!!

a nitroglycerin drip is ordered for your patient to control his chest pain. the concdentration is 100 mg in 250 cc d5w. order is to begin the infusion at 20 mcg/min. what is the rate you would begin the infusion on the infusion pump?

i am not sure if this is correct but here it goes:

part 1:

convert 100mg to 100,000mcg then divide by the 250cc d5w

= 100,000mcg/250cc

=400mcg/cc

part 2:

multiply the infusion rate with 60 because you want the rate to be in per hour not per min

20mcg * 60

= 1200mcg/hr

now, divide part 2 with part 1 and you get

1200mcg/400mcg

=3 cc/hr

and by the way, we don't use cc any more. it's ml.

Math looks right to me, though I wouldn't have done it all for the OP.

Also, just because something is on the JCHAO no-no list doesn't mean people don't use it all the time. :banghead:

please help....i cannot figure out how to do this one. the answer is 3 cc. need da method. thanks!!

a nitroglycerin drip is ordered for your patient to control his chest pain. the concdentration is 100 mg in 250 cc d5w. order is to begin the infusion at 20 mcg/min. what is the rate you would begin the infusion on the infusion pump?

available: 100mg/250cc (cc=ml)

order: 20mcg/min

question: ?ml/hr

da: ml/hr=250ml/100mg x 1mg/1000mcg x 20mcg/min x 60min/1hr = 300,000/100,000 = 3ml/hr

if you will pull the info out first it will help you set up your da problem. identify available, order, what question/looking for and then set problem and do conversions.

  • Author

Is the "available" factor always first vs. "what's ordered"? I'm trying to teach myself DA before January.

is the "available" factor always first vs. "what's ordered"? i'm trying to teach myself da before january.

no particular order just pull out the info to set up the problems.

order "dimensional analysis" by curren, (old edition, 2nd/3rd few bucks) and it walks you through step by step and gives lots of practice questions!. on amazon, looks like they start around $3.88 + ship so less than $8.

makes it super duper clear.

  • Author

OK, I will.

Can you use DA for all calculations? Is it preferred over formula, ratio/proportion? I only want to learn one method and not get confused.

Thanks!

OK, I will.

Can you use DA for all calculations? Is it preferred over formula, ratio/proportion? I only want to learn one method and not get confused.

Thanks!

I use DA for all calculations. It is REQUIRED at our school. If you cannot show it DA then it is wrong even if the answer is right. Thus, luckily this method for me has "clicked" and makes sense to me. You can try different methods if you like but in the end it is which you like and depending on your school.

Dimensional analysis is also what you were taught in HS Chemistry and in Gen Chem I - which is why I'm constantly amazed at the people who try to remember all sorts of odd formulas for dosing and/or can't do dimensional analysis. Everyone has to have seen it at some point before they start on their nursing coursework, unless one's school has really weird prereqs.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Add a Comment

Currently Reading 0

  • No registered users viewing this page.

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.