Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 77%
Simulated
A nurse is preparing to administer dextrose 5% in water (DW) 150 mL IV to infuse over 3 hr. The drop factor of the manual IV tubing is 10 gtt/mL. The nurse should set the manual IV infusion to deliver how many gtt/min? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)
Correct answer
A
Rationale
The correct answer is A: 8 gtt/min. To calculate the drip rate in gtt/min, we first need to determine the total drops to be infused over 3 hours. 150 mL over 3 hours is 50 mL/hr. Next, convert mL/hr to gtt/hr: 50 mL/hr x 10 gtt/mL (drop factor) = 500 gtt/hr. To find gtt/min, divide 500 gtt/hr by 60 min = 8.33 gtt/min, rounding to the nearest whole number gives 8 gtt/min. Therefore, the nurse should set the manual IV infusion to deliver 8 gtt/min.
Other choices are incorrect because they do not follow the correct calculation based on the drop factor and infusion rate.
Other choices are incorrect because they do not follow the correct calculation based on the drop factor and infusion rate.