Question

scenario
suppose mrs. turners provider orders 500 mg of azithromycin to be delivered in a 250 ml iv solution over 3 hours. the dose will be delivered using iv tubing with a drop factor of 15 (15 gtt (drops) = 1 ml).
question
what is the appropriate rate of flow for the iv, in drops per minute?
round your answer to the nearest whole number.

Explanation:

Step1: Convert hours to minutes

We know that 1 hour = 60 minutes, so 3 hours = \(3\times60 = 180\) minutes.

Step2: Calculate total drops

The volume of the solution is 250 mL and the drop factor is 15 gtt/mL. So total drops = \(250\times15 = 3750\) gtt.

Step3: Calculate flow rate in drops per minute

Flow rate = \(\frac{\text{Total drops}}{\text{Total time in minutes}}\) = \(\frac{3750}{180}\approx20.83\). Rounding to the nearest whole number gives 21.

Answer:

21