Question

a nurse is caring for a pregnant adult with severe preeclampsia admitted to a hospital for seizure prophylaxis. the doctor orders a magnesium sulfate loading dose of 6000 mg. the available magnesium sulfate solution is a 20% solution providing 200 mg per ml. the nurse plans to administer the calculated volume over 15 minutes using an intravenous set with a drop factor of 20 gtt/ml. calculate the infusion drip rate in gtt/min for the magnesium sulfate loading dose. record your answer using a whole number.

Explanation:

Step1: Find total volume needed

First, calculate the total volume of the 20% magnesium sulfate solution required to get 6000 mg of the drug. Since the solution provides 200 mg per mL:
$$\text{Total Volume (mL)} = \frac{6000\ \text{mg}}{200\ \text{mg/mL}} = 30\ \text{mL}$$

Step2: Apply drip rate formula

Use the infusion drip rate formula: $\text{Drip Rate (gtt/min)} = \frac{\text{Total Volume (mL)} \times \text{Drop Factor (gtt/mL)}}{\text{Time (min)}}$
Substitute values: $\text{Total Volume}=30\ \text{mL}$, $\text{Drop Factor}=20\ \text{gtt/mL}$, $\text{Time}=15\ \text{min}$
$$\text{Drip Rate} = \frac{30 \times 20}{15}$$

Step3: Compute and round result

Calculate the value and round to a whole number:
$$\text{Drip Rate} = \frac{600}{15} = 40$$

Answer:

40 gtt/min