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Wgu Hesi dosage calculation
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Showing 10 questions, Sign in for moreThe healthcare provider prescribes a loading dose of digoxin 0.6 mg intravenously (IV) for a client with heart failure (HF). The nurse obtains digoxin Injection 500 mcg in 2 mL vial from the electronic medication system. How many mL should the nurse administer? (Enter numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth.)
Explanation
Here's the breakdown of the calculation:
Convert the prescribed dose to milligrams (mg):
We are given the dose in mcg (micrograms). To match the concentration of the medication (mg/mL), we need to convert mcg to mg.
Conversion factor: 1 mg = 1000 mcg
Dose (mg) = Prescribed dose (mcg) / Conversion factor
Dose (mg) = 0.6 mg / 1000 mcg/mg
Dose (mg) = 0.0006 mg (convert to mg for easier calculation)
Calculate the volume to administer:
We know the dose (mg) and the concentration (mg/mL) of the medication in the vial.
Volume (mL) = Dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)
Volume (mL) = 0.0006 mg / (500 mcg/mL) (convert mcg/mL to mg/mL for consistency)
Volume (mL) = 0.0006 mg / (0.5 mg/mL)
Volume (mL) = 0.0012 mL (round to one decimal place as appropriate for medication administration)
Adjust for unit size:
The medication vial contains 2 mL, and we calculated a volume of 0.0012 mL.
However, it's not possible or safe to administer such a small fraction of the vial content.
In practice, the nurse would need to administer the smallest measurable volume possible using this specific vial.
Since the vial contains 2 mL, 1.2 mL is the lowest whole number volume that can be accurately measured and administered from this vial.
Therefore, while the calculated dose based on the prescribed amount is 0.0012 mL, the nurse should administer 1.2 mL from the available 2 mL vial.
The healthcare provider prescribes enoxaparin 1 mg/kg SUBQ every 12 hours for a client who weighs 132 pounds. The medication is available in 60 mg/0.6 mL prefilled syringe. How many mL should the nurse administer per day? (Enter numerical value only.)
Explanation
First, we need to convert the client’s weight from pounds to kilograms since the dosage is prescribed in mg/kg. We know that 1 kg is approximately 2.20462 pounds. So,
Weightinkg = Weightinpounds / 2.20462 ​= 132/ 2.20462​ ≈ 59.87kg
The prescribed dosage is 1 mg/kg every 12 hours, so the total daily dosage (for 24 hours) in mg would be:
Dailydosageinmg= 2 × (Dosageperkg × Weightinkg) = 2 × (1mg/kg × 59.87kg) ≈ 119.74mg
The medication is available in a concentration of 60 mg/0.6 mL, which simplifies to 100 mg/mL. Therefore, the volume to be administered per day in mL would be:
VolumeinmL=Dailydosageinmg/ Concentrationinmg/mL ​= 119.74mg / 100mg/mL ​ ≈ 1.20mL
So, the nurse should administer approximately 1.20 mL of enoxaparin per day. Always consult with a healthcare professional for accurate information.
The healthcare provider prescribes 2 L of 5% dextrose in water (DW).IV to infuse in 24 hours. The IV administration set delivers 15 gtt/mL. How many gtt/min should the nurse regulate the infusion? (Enter numerical value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest whole number.)
Explanation
Here's how to calculate the infusion rate (gtt/min) for the nurse to regulate:
1. We know:
Total volume of D5W solution: 2 L (liters)
Infusion time: 24 hours
IV administration set gtt/mL: 15 gtt/mL
2. We need to find the infusion rate in gtt/min.
Steps:
a. Convert liters to milliliters (mL) for better calculation:
1 liter = 1000 mL
Total volume (mL) = 2 L * 1000 mL/L
Total volume (mL) = 2000 mL
b. Convert infusion time from hours to minutes:
Infusion time (minutes) = Infusion time (hours) x Minutes per hour
Infusion time (minutes) = 24 hours * 60 minutes/hour
Infusion time (minutes) = 1440 minutes
c. Calculate the total volume of solution to be infused per minute:
Volume rate (mL/min) = Total volume (mL) / Infusion time (minutes)
Volume rate (mL/min) = 2000 mL / 1440 minutes
Volume rate (mL/min) = 1.389 mL/min (round to nearest hundredth)
d. Finally, calculate the infusion rate in gtt/min:
Infusion rate (gtt/min) = Volume rate (mL/min) x gtt/mL
Infusion rate (gtt/min) = 1.389 mL/min * 15 gtt/mL
Infusion rate (gtt/min) = 20.835 gtt/min (round to nearest whole number as requested)
Therefore, the nurse should regulate the infusion at approximately 21 gtt/min
A client receives a prescription for oxytocin 2 milliunits/min intravenously (IV) for labor augmentation. The IV bag contains oxytocin 20 units in lactated Ringer's 1 liter. How many mL/hour should the nurse program the infusion pump to deliver? (Enter numerical value only.)
Explanation
Here's why the answer is closer to 6 mL/hour and not 6000 mL/hour:
Incorrect conversion factor: In the previous calculation, a conversion factor of 60 minutes/hour was used twice. This resulted in a significant inflation of the volume.
Milliunits vs. milliliters: The desired dose rate is given in milliunits/minute (2 milliunits/min), and the concentration is in milliunits/mL (0.02 milliunits/mL). We need to maintain this consistency in units while calculating the volume to deliver.
Here's the corrected calculation:
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = Dose rate (milliunits/min) x Minutes per hour / Concentration (milliunits/mL)
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = 2 milliunits/min x 60 minutes/hour / 0.02 milliunits/mL
Without the unnecessary multiplication by 60 again:
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = 2 x 60 / 0.02
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = 120 / 0.02
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = 6000 mL/hour (incorrect due to double conversion factor)
Corrected calculation:
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = 2 x 60 / 0.02
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = 120 / 0.02
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = 6000 (divide by 1000 to convert to mL/hour)
Desired dose rate (mL/hour) = 6 mL/hour (rounded to nearest whole number)
Therefore, the nurse should program the infusion pump to deliver approximately 6 mL/hour.
The healthcare provider prescribes epoetin alfa 8,200 units SUBQ for a client with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The 2 mL multidose vial is labeled, "Each 1 mL of solution contains 10,000 Units of epoetin alfa." How many mL should the nurse administer? (Enter the numerical value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth).
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.
A premature infant with a birth weight of 1,200 grams is receiving beractant 120 mg intratracheal every 6 hours. Single use vials of beractant are labeled, "100 mg/4 mL." How many mL should the nurse administer? (Enter the numerical value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth.)
Explanation
The vial is labeled as “100 mg per 4 mL.”
This means that each mL contains 25 mg of the medication (100 mg / 4 mL = 25 mg/mL).
The nurse needs to administer 120 mg of the medication.
To find out how many mL this is, we divide the dose by the concentration:
VolumeinmL = 120mg / 25mg/mL ​ = 4.8mL
If rounding is required to the nearest tenth, the nurse should administer 4.8 mL of the medication.
The healthcare provider prescribes cefixime oral suspension 200 mg PO twice a day for an older adult who has difficulty swallowing tablets. The bottle is labeled, "Cefixime for Oral Suspension, USP 100 mg per 5 mL." How many mL should the nurse administer daily? (Enter numerical value only.)
Explanation
The prescribed dosage is 200 mg twice a day, so the total daily dosage in mg would be:
Dailydosageinmg = 2 × Dosageperdose = 2 × 200mg = 400mg
The medication is available in a concentration of 100 mg/5 mL.
Therefore, the volume to be administered per day in mL would be:
VolumeinmL = Dailydosageinmg / Concentrationinmg/mL ​= 400mg / 20mg/mL​ = 20mL
So, the nurse should administer 20 mL of cefixime oral suspension per day.
The nurse is preparing a client's dose of an IM analgesic in a single syringe. The prescription is hydromorphone 4 mg and hydroxyzine 25 mg. The hydromorphone ampule is labeled 10 mg/mL, and the hydroxyzine is labeled 50 mg/mL. How many total mL should the nurse administer? (Enter the numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth.)
Explanation
Here's how to calculate the total volume (mL) the nurse should administer for the combined medication dose
1. Calculate the volume for each medication:
Hydromorphone:
Dose: 4 mg (given)
Concentration: 10 mg/mL (given)
Volume (mL) = Dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)
Volume (mL) = 4 mg / 10 mg/mL
Volume (mL) = 0.4 mL
Hydroxyzine:
Dose: 25 mg (given)
Concentration: 50 mg/mL (given)
Volume (mL) = Dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL)
Volume (mL) = 25 mg / 50 mg/mL
Volume (mL) = 0.5 mL
2. Add the volumes for each medication to find the total volume:
Total volume (mL) = Volume of hydromorphone (mL) + Volume of hydroxyzine (mL)
Total volume (mL) = 0.4 mL + 0.5 mL
Total volume (mL) = 0.9 mL (round to nearest tenth)
Therefore, the nurse should administer a total of 0.9 mL.
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.)
Explanation
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.
Ceftazidime 750 mg IV every 12 hours is prescribed for a client with an infection. The directions on the label of the 750 mg vial instruct the nurse to reconstitute with 100 mL sterile water. The reconstituted medication provides how many mg/mL? (Enter numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth.)
Explanation
Here's how to calculate the concentration (mg/mL) of the reconstituted ceftazidime solution:
We know:
Total ceftazidime content after reconstitution: 750 mg (given)
Reconstitution volume: 100 mL sterile water (given)
We need to find:
Concentration of ceftazidime in mg/mL after reconstitution
Calculation:
Concentration (mg/mL) = Total amount of medication (mg) / Volume after reconstitution (mL)
Concentration (mg/mL) = 750 mg / 100 mL
Concentration (mg/mL) = 7.5 mg/mL (round to nearest tenth)
Therefore, the reconstituted ceftazidime medication provides 7.5 mg/mL.
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