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The healthcare provider prescribes ganciclovir 375 mg intravenous (IV) every 12 hour to infuse over 90 minutes. The pharmacy delivers ganciclovir 375 mg in a 150 mL IV bag. How many drops/minute should the nurse regulate the gravity infusion using a drip chamber that delivers 10 drops/mL? (Enter numerical value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest whole number.)
Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is ["17"]

Here's how to calculate the drip rate (drops/minute) for the ganciclovir infusion:

1. We know:

Ganciclovir dose: 375 mg (given)

Infusion bag volume: 150 mL (given)

Infusion time: 90 minutes (given) = 1.5 hours (convert minutes to hours)

Drip chamber calibration: 10 drops/mL (given)

2. We need to find:

Drip rate (drops/minute)

3. Steps:

Calculate the concentration of ganciclovir in the bag (assuming all medication is in the bag):

Concentration (mg/mL) = Dose (mg) / Volume (mL)

Concentration (mg/mL) = 375 mg / 150 mL

Concentration (mg/mL) = 2.5 mg/mL

Calculate the total volume to infuse (considering the prescribed dose):

We already know the volume of the bag (150 mL), but this might contain more volume than needed to deliver the prescribed dose.

Calculate the volume to infuse based on the dose and concentration:

Volume to infuse (mL) = Dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)

Volume to infuse (mL) = 375 mg / 2.5 mg/mL

Volume to infuse (mL) = 150 mL (This confirms that the full bag volume delivers the prescribed dose)

Calculate the infusion rate (mL/hour):

Infusion rate (mL/hour) = Total volume to infuse (mL) / Infusion time (hours)

Infusion rate (mL/hour) = 150 mL / 1.5 hours

Infusion rate (mL/hour) = 100 mL/hour

Calculate the drip rate (drops/minute):

Drip rate (drops/minute) = Infusion rate (mL/hour) x Drip chamber calibration (drops/mL)

Drip rate (drops/minute) = 100 mL/hour x 10 drops/mL

Drip rate (drops/minute) = 1000 drops/hour (convert to minutes)

Drip rate (drops/minute) = 1000 drops/hour / 60 minutes/hour

Drip rate (drops/minute) = 16.67 drops/minute (round to nearest whole number as requested)

Therefore, the nurse should regulate the gravity infusion at approximately 17 drops/minute.


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Related Questions

Correct Answer is ["0.8"]

Explanation

Here's how to calculate the volume (mL) of epoetin alfa the nurse should administer:

1. We know the following:

Prescribed dose: 8,200 units epoetin alfa (given)

Vial concentration: 10,000 units/mL (given from the label)

2. We need to find the volume (mL) to administer for the prescribed dose (8,200 units) considering the concentration (10,000 units/mL).

Volume to administer (mL) = Dose (units) / Concentration (units/mL)

Volume to administer (mL) = 8,200 units / 10,000 units/mL

Volume to administer (mL) = 0.82 mL (round to nearest tenth)

Therefore, the nurse should administer 0.8 mL of epoetin alfa subcutaneously.

Correct Answer is ["0.6"]

Explanation

Here's the corrected calculation for the volume to be administered:

Dosage: 60 mg

Concentration: 100 mg/mL

Volume to administer:

Volume (mL) = Dosage (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)

Volume (mL) = 60 mg / 100 mg/mL

Volume (mL) = 0.6 mL

Therefore, the nurse should administer 0.6 mL of enoxaparin sodium injection.

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