The Physician Ordered D5 NS IV Flow Rate Calculation

Question:

The physician ordered D5 NS to run at 125 mL/hour with a drop factor of 20 gtt/mL. Calculate the IV flow rate in gtt/minute. Round off to the nearest whole number. Which of the following choices is correct? A. 41 B. 44 C. 43 D. 42

Answer:

Final answer: To calculate the IV flow rate in gtt/min, you should multiply the mL/hour by the drop factor and divide by 60. For this problem, the answer is 42 gtt/minute (rounded to the nearest whole number) after substituting the given values into the formula. So, answer D is correct.

Explanation:

The subject of this question is calculating the intravenous flow rate, given the volume of fluid, the time, and the drop factor. To calculate the IV flow rate in gtt/min, you can use the formula:

Flow rate (gtt/min) = (mL/hour x drop factor) / 60

You're given 125 mL/hour as the flow rate, and the drop factor is 20 gtt/mL. Let's substitute these values into the formula:

Flow rate (gtt/min) = (125 x 20) / 60 = 41.67

As you are asked to round off to the nearest whole number, the IV flow rate is therefore 42 gtt/minute. So, answer D is correct.