An order is received for Principen (ampicillin) 25 mg/kg IV for a toddler who weighs 22 lb. The dose is to be infused over 30 minutes. The ampicillin dose arrives from the pharmacy prepared in 50 mL of solution.
How many milliliters per hour should be administered?
25 mL/hr
50 mL/hr
100 mL/hr
10 mL/hr
The Correct Answer is C
To find the milliliters per hour, you need to calculate the following:
- The patient's weight in kilograms
- The dose of Principen in milligrams
- The infusion rate in milliliters per hour using the formula: Infusion rate (mL/h) = (Total volume (mL) x Flow factor (gt/mL)) / Time (min) x 60 min/h
First, convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2:
22 lb / 2.2 = 10 kg
Next, multiply the patient's weight by the dose of Principen per kilogram to get the total dose in milligrams:
10 kg x 25 mg/kg = 250 mg
Then, use the formula for infusion rate to find how many milliliters per hour the IV pump should deliver:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = (Total volume (mL) x Flow factor (gt/mL)) / Time (min) x 60 min/h
Since the medication is prepared in 50 mL of solution and the infusion time is 30 minutes, plug in these values into the formula:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = (50 mL x 1 gt/mL) / 30 min x 60 min/h
Simplify and solve for the infusion rate:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = 100 mL/h
Therefore, the nurse should administer **100 mL/h** to infuse Principen 250 mg over 30 minutes.

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Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Step 1 is Convert pounds to kilograms 110 lb ÷ 2.2 = 50 kg
Step 2 is Calculate dose in micrograms per minute 50 kg × 200 micrograms = 10,000 micrograms/min
Step 3 is Convert micrograms to milligrams 10,000 micrograms ÷ 1000 = 10 mg/min
Step 4 is Convert mg/min to mg/hr 10 mg × 60 = 600 mg/hr
Step 5 is Determine concentration of esmolol in mg/mL 2.5 grams × 1000 = 2500 mg 2500 mg ÷ 250 mL = 10 mg/mL
Step 6 is Calculate infusion rate in mL/hr 600 mg/hr ÷ 10 mg/mL = 60 mL/hr
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
The dose of the medicine per day is 1.8 mcg.
This answer is correct because it is based on a simple multiplication calculation. The nurse should follow these steps to calculate the dose of the medicine per day:
1) Divide 24 hours by the frequency of the dose to get the number of doses per day, as follows:
24 / 4 = 6
Therefore, the client will receive 6 doses of the medicine per day.
2) Multiply the number of doses per day by the amount of each dose to get the total dose per day, as follows:
6 x 0.3 mcg = 1.8 mcg
Therefore, the dose of the medicine per day is 1.8 mcg.
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