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A nurse is preparing to administer Ringer's lactate 500 mL IV bolus to infuse over 3 hr. The drop factor of the manual IV tubing is 20 gtt/mL. The nurse should set the manual IV infusion to deliver how many gtt/min? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)
Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is ["56"]

To calculate the infusion rate in gtt/min, we need to know the total number of drops (gtt) needed

for the entire infusion and the time it takes to complete the infusion. Given:

  • Ringer's lactate: 500 mL
  • Infusion time: 3 hours
  • Drop factor: 20 gtt/mL

First, let's calculate the total number of drops needed for the entire infusion: Total drops = Volume (mL) × Drop factor (gtt/mL)

Total drops = 500 mL × 20 gtt/mL Total drops = 10,000 gtt

Next, we need to determine the infusion rate in gtt/min. Since the infusion time is given in hours, we need to convert it to minutes:

Infusion time (min) = Infusion time (hours) × 60 min/hour Infusion time (min) = 3 hours × 60 min/hour

Infusion time (min) = 180 min

Now, we can calculate the infusion rate in gtt/min:

Infusion rate (gtt/min) = Total drops / Infusion time (min) Infusion rate (gtt/min) = 10,000 gtt / 180 min

Infusion rate (gtt/min) ≈ 55.6 gtt/min (Rounded off- 56 gtt/min)


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Related Questions

Correct Answer is D

No explanation

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

A.Medications and blood should never be mixed in the same line because it can cause reactions, interference with the blood product, and complications for the client. Medications should be administered through a separate IV line or a port further away from the client.

B.Blood transfusions should typically be completed within 2 to 4 hours to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination and ensure that the blood does not exceed a safe infusion duration.

C.Y tubing is commonly used for blood transfusions, where one arm of the Y is used for the packed RBCs and the other is for normal saline. Normal saline is used to flush the line before and after administering blood, ensuring the infusion is free of air and that the blood flows smoothly without clotting.

D.The drip chamber should not be completely filled with blood. It should have a small amount of blood for monitoring the infusion rate, but the filter within the drip chamber is designed to filter any clots or debris. A completely filled chamber with blood can make it difficult to assess the flow rate, and could indicate that the blood is not flowing properly.

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