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Difficulty: MediumPharmacological and Parenteral Therapies

A pediatric client weighing 44 lb44\text{ lb} is admitted with a severe lower respiratory tract infection. The healthcare provider prescribes intravenous cefotaxime 50 mg/kg/dose50\text{ mg/kg/dose} every 12 hours. The pharmacy dispenses a reconstituted cefotaxime solution with a concentration of 200 mg/mL200\text{ mg/mL}. How many milliliters (mL\text{mL}) should the nurse administer per dose?

  1. A
    2.5
  2. 5Answer
  3. C
    10
  4. D
    11

Answer

The nurse should administer 5 mL5\text{ mL} for each dose.
To determine the correct volume, the weight must first be converted to kilograms (44÷2.2=20 kg44 \div 2.2 = 20\text{ kg}). Then, calculate the required dose in milligrams by multiplying the weight by the prescribed dosage (20 kg×50 mg/kg=1000 mg20\text{ kg} \times 50\text{ mg/kg} = 1000\text{ mg}). Finally, divide the required dose by the concentration of the available solution (1000 mg÷200 mg/mL=5 mL1000\text{ mg} \div 200\text{ mg/mL} = 5\text{ mL}). Since the order specifies '50 mg/kg/dose50\text{ mg/kg/dose}', no further division for administration frequency is needed.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Convert the client's weight from pounds to kilograms.
44 lb÷2.2 lb/kg=20 kg44\text{ lb} \div 2.2\text{ lb/kg} = 20\text{ kg}
Medication dosages are calculated based on metric weight (kilograms).
2
Calculate the prescribed dose in milligrams (mg\text{mg}).
20 kg×50 mg/kg/dose=1000 mg/dose20\text{ kg} \times 50\text{ mg/kg/dose} = 1000\text{ mg/dose}
The prescription specifies the amount of medication per kilogram for each individual dose.
3
Calculate the volume in milliliters (mL\text{mL}) to administer.
1000 mg÷200 mg/mL=5 mL1000\text{ mg} \div 200\text{ mg/mL} = 5\text{ mL}
This determines how much of the available solution provides the required milligram dose.

Key Concept

Pediatric weight-based intravenous medication dosage calculation

Alternative Method

Dimensional analysis can solve this in a single equation: X mL=1 mL200 mg×50 mg1 kg×1 kg2.2 lb×44 lb=5 mLX\text{ mL} = \frac{1\text{ mL}}{200\text{ mg}} \times \frac{50\text{ mg}}{1\text{ kg}} \times \frac{1\text{ kg}}{2.2\text{ lb}} \times 44\text{ lb} = 5\text{ mL}.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies

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