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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Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
The nurse should administer 1 mL per dose to the patient.
This answer is correct because it is based on a simple ratio and proportion calculation. The nurse can set up a proportion as follows:
30 mg / 1 mL = 30 mg / x mL
Cross-multiplying and solving for x gives:
x = 1 mL
Therefore, the nurse should administer 1 mL of Toradol injection to deliver 30 mg of the medication to the patient.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
To find the flow rate in mL/hr, you need to use the formula for infusion rate:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = Total volume (mL) / Time (h)
Since the total volume is 2.5 L and the time is 15 hours, plug in these values into the formula:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = 2.5 L / 15 h
However, before you can simplify and solve for the infusion rate, you need to convert the volume from liters to milliliters by multiplying by 1000:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = 2500 mL / 15 h
Simplify and solve for the infusion rate:
Infusion rate (mL/h) = 166.67 mL/h
Therefore, the flow rate for continuous infusion is **166.67 mL/h**.
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