Question

1. you are premedicating a cat for surgery with dexmedetomadine (dexdomitor®). the doctor would like you to give 20 mcg/kg, and the concentration of the drug is 0.5mg/ml. how much dedomitor® would you pull for your 10 lb patient?

Explanation:

Step1: Convert the weight from pounds to kilograms

Since 1 lb = 0.453592 kg, for a 10 - lb cat, the weight in kg is $10\times0.453592 = 4.53592$ kg.

Step2: Calculate the total dose of the drug in micrograms

The dose is 20 mcg/kg, so for a 4.53592 - kg cat, the total dose in mcg is $20\times4.53592=90.7184$ mcg.

Step3: Convert the drug concentration to micrograms per milliliter

The concentration is 0.5 mg/mL. Since 1 mg = 1000 mcg, 0.5 mg/mL = $0.5\times1000 = 500$ mcg/mL.

Step4: Calculate the volume of the drug to be administered

Using the formula $V=\frac{D}{C}$, where $V$ is the volume, $D$ is the dose, and $C$ is the concentration. So $V=\frac{90.7184}{500}=0.1814368\approx0.18$ mL.

Answer:

0.18 mL