A client weighing 192 \text{ lbs} is receiving treatment for a stable ventricular tachycar… — NCLEX-RN

A client weighing $192 \text{ lbs}$ is receiving treatment for a stable ventricular tachycardia. The healthcare provider prescribes a continuous intravenous infusion of amiodarone at $0.5 \text{ mg/min}$ . The pharmacy supplies an amiodarone infusion bag containing $900 \text{ mg}$ in $500 \text{ mL}$ of $5\% \text{ dextrose}$ in water ( $D_5W$ ). At what rate, in $\text{mL/hr}$ , should the nurse set the infusion pump? Record your answer using one decimal place.

Answer: 16.7 mL/hr

Answer

16.7

The correct infusion rate of

16.7 \text{ mL/hr}

is calculated by first recognizing that the client's weight is not needed for a non-weight-based dose. Convert the per-minute dose to an hourly dose (

0.5 \text{ mg/min} \times 60 = 30 \text{ mg/hr}

). Then, determine the concentration of the IV fluid (

900 \text{ mg} \div 500 \text{ mL} = 1.8 \text{ mg/mL}

). Finally, divide the hourly dose by the concentration to find the correct pump rate (

30 \div 1.8 = 16.666...

) and round to one decimal place.

Step-by-Step Solution

Determine the required medication dose per hour.

0.5 \text{ mg/min} \times 60 \text{ min/hr} = 30 \text{ mg/hr}

The infusion pump operates in mL/hr, so the prescribed mg/min dose must be converted to an hourly rate. The client's weight is extraneous data.

Calculate the concentration of the supplied medication.

900 \text{ mg} \div 500 \text{ mL} = 1.8 \text{ mg/mL}

Finding the concentration allows you to convert the required hourly dose from milligrams to milliliters.

Calculate the infusion rate in mL/hr.

30 \text{ mg/hr} \div 1.8 \text{ mg/mL} = 16.666... \text{ mL/hr}

Dividing the desired hourly dose by the concentration provides the volume of fluid to be infused per hour.

Round the final calculation to one decimal place.

16.7

Clinical calculations must follow precise rounding rules as instructed in the question stem.

Key Concept

Continuous IV Infusion Calculation and Extraneous Data Identification

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