The nurse is caring for a client that has a diagnosis of alcohol dependence and has come to the Emergency Department with symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. An order is written for lorazepam 3 mg IV. The pharmacy only has the injectable form of lorazepam in a concentration of 2 mg/mL. Each vial contains 1 mL. How many vials does the nurse need to retrieve from the med room to prepare the ordered dose?

The correct answer is 2 vials. To prepare 3 mg of lorazepam, which is in a concentration of 2 mg/mL, the nurse needs 1.5 mL (3 mg ├À 2 mg/mL). Since each vial contains 1 mL of lorazepam, the nurse will need to retrieve 2 vials (1.5 mL ├À 1 mL/vial = 2 vials). This ensures the nurse will have the correct dose of lorazepam for the client experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Other choices are incorrect because they do not follow the correct calculation for the required dose based on the concentration of the medication in the vials.