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Difficulty: HardPharmacological Therapies

An 8-year-old client weighing 39.6 lb39.6\text{ lb} is being treated for a severe respiratory infection in an outpatient clinic. The healthcare provider prescribes cefdinir oral suspension at 40 mg/kg/day40\text{ mg/kg/day} to be administered in equally divided doses every 8 hours8\text{ hours}. The pharmacy dispenses a reconstituted suspension with a concentration of 250 mg/5 mL250\text{ mg}/5\text{ mL}. How many milliliters will the nurse administer for a single dose?

(Record the answer to the nearest tenth. Do not include units in the answer.)

Answer: 4.8 mL

Answer

4.8
The correct calculation requires sequential conversion: establishing the weight in kg, determining the 24-hour milligram total, dividing by the number of daily administrations (every 8 hours = 3 doses), and utilizing dimensional analysis with the dispensed concentration to find the liquid volume per dose.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Convert the client's weight from pounds to kilograms.
18 kg18\text{ kg}
The medication dosage is prescribed in mg/kg, requiring the weight to be in metric units (39.6 lb÷2.2=18 kg39.6\text{ lb} \div 2.2 = 18\text{ kg}).
2
Calculate the total daily medication requirement.
720 mg/day720\text{ mg/day}
Multiply the client's weight in kg by the daily dosage rate (18 kg×40 mg/kg/day=720 mg/day18\text{ kg} \times 40\text{ mg/kg/day} = 720\text{ mg/day}).
3
Calculate the amount of medication required for a single dose.
240 mg/dose240\text{ mg/dose}
The medication is given every 8 hours, which equals 3 doses per 24-hour period. Divide the daily total by 3 (720 mg÷3=240 mg/dose720\text{ mg} \div 3 = 240\text{ mg/dose}).
4
Calculate the volume in milliliters to administer for one dose.
4.8 mL4.8\text{ mL}
Use the formula (Desired / Have) * Volume. (240 mg÷250 mg)×5 mL=0.96×5 mL=4.8 mL(240\text{ mg} \div 250\text{ mg}) \times 5\text{ mL} = 0.96 \times 5\text{ mL} = 4.8\text{ mL}.

Key Concept

Weight-based pediatric dosage calculation and liquid medication volume conversion.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Pharmacological Therapies

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