Question

a nurse is caring for an adult client admitted to the hospital with preterm labor. the client is experiencing frequent uterine contractions and was evaluated in the labor unit. the obstetrician has ordered an oxytocin infusion to augment labor, prescribing an infusion rate of 2 milliunits per minute. oxytocin is available as 10 international units in 1000 ml of intravenous saline solution. the nurse verifies the medication and its concentration before preparing the infusion. calculate the infusion pump setting in ml/hr required to deliver an oxytocin dose of 2 milliunits per minute. record your answer to one decimal place. answer:

Explanation:

Step1: Convert units to milliunits

First, convert the total units of oxytocin to milliunits:
$10 \text{ units} \times 1000 = 10000 \text{ milliunits}$

Step2: Find milliunits per mL

Calculate the concentration of oxytocin in milliunits per mL:
$\frac{10000 \text{ milliunits}}{1000 \text{ mL}} = 10 \text{ milliunits/mL}$

Step3: Find mL per minute

Determine the mL needed per minute to deliver 2 milliunits:
$\frac{2 \text{ milliunits/minute}}{10 \text{ milliunits/mL}} = 0.2 \text{ mL/minute}$

Step4: Convert to mL per hour

Convert mL per minute to mL per hour:
$0.2 \text{ mL/minute} \times 60 \text{ minutes/hour} = 12.0 \text{ mL/hr}$

Answer:

12.0 mL/hr