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

Wasting Morphine Medication Calculation Problem

Hey guys I wanted some help with this question: The doctor prescribes 4 mg of I.M. morphine every 3 hours for your patient's pain. The drug is available in a prefilled syringe containing 10 mg of morphine/mL. How many milliliters of morphine should you waste?

I understand that you should give 0.4mL to the patient but how much do you waste? If anybody could help me understand this part of the question I would really appreciate it. Thanks guys :sneaky:

  • Quote

    • Featured Replies

    you would have 0.6ml left

  • Quote
    • Guides

    You didn't say how many mL are in the syringe. Not all concentrations are the same. If this is 10mg/mL, then you would subtract what you give from the total you started with. Whatever is left over is what you waste.

    10 mg/mL, give 0.4, waste 0.6.

    Some prefilled syringes are 4mg/mL, some are 2mg/mL. You have to read the labels very carefully.

  • Quote
    • Author

    Thanks guys that really helped ;)

  • Quote
    • Guides

    You're welcome, and looking back a 2nd time, ah, you did say per mL. oops. :shy:

  • Quote

    can someone explain how you got 0.6?

  • Quote

    You have 10 mg morphine in 1 mL, and need to administer 4 mg.

    You know that you have to administer 4 mg. How many mL will you have to administer 4 mg?

    Now, you have to waste the remaining morphine. You started with 10 mg/mL. What volume of the medication did you have for the 4 mg dose that you administered? Subtract that from what you started with.

  • Quote

    so I'm administering 4mg/0.4mL and I have a total of 10mg/mL but I'm still not arriving at 0.6. URGHHH I FEEL DUMB!

  • Quote

    If i subtract 10 from .4 I get 9.6

  • Quote

    You don't have 10 mL. You have 10 mg in 1 mL.

  • Quote

    10 x 4

    ---- ---- = 10x =4= x=4/10 or .4ml Dose wanted Subtract dose wanted from original

    1ml X. Quantity (1ml) 1ml minus .4=.6

    .6 is wasted.

    i tried to type this on my tablet but it didn't format the way I typed it sorry. Not sure this will help

  • Quote
    • Experts

    You have a total of 1ml. You are administering 0.4ml. 1-0.4=? It's simple math. Don't overthink it.

  • Quote

    if there are 10mg in 1 mL each 0.1 mL has 1 mg morphine which equals 0.4mL given and 0.6mL wasted.

  • Quote

    • 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
    Go to topic listing

    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.