A nurse is caring for a mechanically ventilated client who requires continuous sedation. T… — NCLEX-RN

A nurse is caring for a mechanically ventilated client who requires continuous sedation. The healthcare provider prescribes a propofol infusion at $20 \text{ mcg/kg/min}$ . The client weighs $176 \text{ lbs}$ . The medication is supplied as $10 \text{ mg/mL}$ . At what rate in $\text{mL/hr}$ should the nurse set the intravenous pump? (Record your answer to the nearest tenth.)

Answer: 9.6 mL/hr

Answer

9.6

To determine the correct rate, the nurse must execute a sequential calculation: convert weight to kilograms (

80 \text{ kg}

), find the dose per minute (

1,600 \text{ mcg/min}

), convert to the dose per hour (

96,000 \text{ mcg/hr}

), translate micrograms to milligrams (

96 \text{ mg/hr}

), and finally divide by the concentration (

10 \text{ mg/mL}

) to arrive at the correct pump rate of

9.6 \text{ mL/hr}

Step-by-Step Solution

Convert the client's weight from pounds to kilograms.

176 \text{ lbs} \div 2.2 \text{ lbs/kg} = 80 \text{ kg}

The prescription is weight-based, requiring the client's mass in kilograms.

Calculate the total required dose per minute.

20 \text{ mcg/kg/min} \times 80 \text{ kg} = 1600 \text{ mcg/min}

Multiplying the ordered dose by the client's weight determines the specific dose needed each minute.

Convert the dose per minute to the dose per hour.

1600 \text{ mcg/min} \times 60 \text{ min/hr} = 96,000 \text{ mcg/hr}

Intravenous pumps run in hourly rates (mL/hr), so the minute-based dose must be converted to an hourly dose.

Convert the hourly dose from micrograms to milligrams.

96,000 \text{ mcg/hr} \div 1000 \text{ mcg/mg} = 96 \text{ mg/hr}

The supplied medication concentration is provided in milligrams, meaning the desired dose must match this unit.

Calculate the final infusion rate in mL/hr.

96 \text{ mg/hr} \div 10 \text{ mg/mL} = 9.6 \text{ mL/hr}

Dividing the desired hourly dose by the available concentration yields the volumetric rate to program into the IV pump.

Key Concept

Weight-based Intravenous Continuous Infusion Calculations

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