A pediatric client who weighs 28.6\text{ lb} is being treated for a severe bacterial infec… — NCLEX-PN

A pediatric client who weighs $28.6\text{ lb}$ is being treated for a severe bacterial infection. The primary health care provider prescribes oral amoxicillin at a dosage of $40\text{ mg/kg/day}$ to be administered in equally divided doses every $8\text{ hours}$ . The medication bottle states a concentration of $250\text{ mg}/5\text{ mL}$ after reconstitution. How many milliliters should the practical nurse administer for a single dose? (Record the answer to the nearest tenth. Do not include units in the answer.)

Answer: 3.5 mL

Answer

3.5

To solve this calculation, first convert pounds to kilograms:

28.6\text{ lb} \div 2.2\text{ lb/kg} = 13\text{ kg}

. Next, determine the total daily dose:

13\text{ kg} \times 40\text{ mg/kg/day} = 520\text{ mg/day}

. Because the medication is prescribed every 8 hours, it is administered 3 times per 24 hours. The single dose is

520\text{ mg} \div 3 = 173.33\text{ mg/dose}

. Using the concentration of

250\text{ mg}

per

5\text{ mL}

, the volume to administer is

(173.33\text{ mg} \div 250\text{ mg}) \times 5\text{ mL} = 3.466\text{ mL}

. Rounding to the nearest tenth yields

3.5\text{ mL}

Step-by-Step Solution

Convert the client's weight from pounds to kilograms.

13\text{ kg}

The prescribed dosage is weight-based in mg/kg, so the weight must be in kilograms (

28.6 \div 2.2 = 13

Calculate the total daily dose of the medication.

520\text{ mg/day}

Multiply the client's weight in kg by the prescribed daily dosage (

13 \times 40 = 520

Determine the amount of medication required for a single dose.

173.33\text{ mg/dose}

The order states every 8 hours, which means 3 times a day (24 / 8 = 3). Divide the total daily dose by 3 (

520 \div 3 = 173.333...

Calculate the volume needed for one dose and round to the nearest tenth.

3.5\text{ mL}

Use the available concentration (

250\text{ mg}/5\text{ mL}

) to find the volume:

(173.33 \div 250) \times 5 = 3.466\text{ mL}

. Rounding to the nearest tenth gives

3.5

Key Concept

Weight-based pediatric dosage calculation and conversion

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