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Difficulty: HardPharmacological Therapies

An 1111-month-old infant is admitted with acute otitis media. The infant weighs 1818 lb 1212 oz. The primary healthcare provider prescribes amoxicillin-clavulanate 4545 mg/kg/day by mouth, in equally divided doses every 88 hours. The pharmacy supplies amoxicillin-clavulanate oral suspension with a concentration of 200200 mg/55 mL.

How many milliliters will the practical nurse administer for a single dose?
*(Record your answer to the nearest tenth. Do not include units in your answer.)*

Answer: 3.2 mL

Answer

3.2
The correct calculation requires converting the infant's weight to kilograms accurately (including converting ounces to a fraction of a pound), calculating the weight-based daily dose, dividing by the frequency of administration to find the individual dose, and finally converting the ordered dose to a volume based on the supplied concentration, rounding only at the final step to prevent compounding rounding errors.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Convert the infant's weight from ounces to pounds.
The total weight is 18.75 lb.
Standard weight conversion is required because 16 ounces equal 1 pound.
2
Convert the weight from pounds to kilograms.
The infant weighs 8.5227 kg.
The medication dosage is prescribed based on body weight in kilograms.
3
Calculate the total daily medication dose in milligrams.
The total daily dose is 383.5227 mg.
Multiplying the infant's weight in kg by the prescribed 45 mg/kg/day yields the 24-hour dose requirement.
4
Determine the amount of medication required for a single dose.
A single dose is 127.8409 mg.
The medication is given every 8 hours, which equals 3 divided doses per day.
5
Calculate the liquid volume to administer per dose based on the pharmacy supply.
The calculated volume is 3.196 mL.
Using the desired-over-have formula with the 200 mg / 5 mL concentration determines the volume.
6
Round the final calculated volume to the nearest tenth.
3.2
Standard rounding rules apply; since the hundredths place is 9, round up the tenths place.

Key Concept

Weight-Based Pediatric Dosage Calculation
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Topics

Pharmacological Therapies

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