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Difficulty: MediumPharmacological and Parenteral Therapies

An intensive care nurse is preparing to initiate a continuous intravenous infusion of milrinone for a client experiencing cardiogenic shock.

The client's admission weight is 8080 kg. The prescribed dose is 0.50.5 mcg/kg/min. The pharmacy has provided a premixed bag containing 2020 mg of milrinone in 100100 mL of 5%5\% dextrose in water (D5WD_5W).

Calculate the required infusion pump setting in mL/hr. (Record your answer as a whole number).

Answer: 12 mL/hr

Answer

12
The correct infusion rate is 12 mL/hr, determined by first calculating the total required hourly dose based on weight (2.4 mg/hr) and dividing it by the concentration of the prepared medication (0.2 mg/mL).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate the per-minute dose required.
4040 mcg/min
Multiplying the prescribed dose (0.50.5 mcg/kg/min) by the client's weight (8080 kg) gives the total amount needed per minute.
2
Convert the per-minute dose to an hourly dose.
24002400 mcg/hr
Infusion pumps deliver fluid in mL per hour, so the required rate must reflect an hourly time frame (40×6040 \times 60).
3
Convert the dose from micrograms to milligrams.
2.42.4 mg/hr
The available medication is measured in milligrams, requiring unit alignment before calculating the required volume.
4
Determine the concentration of the available solution.
0.20.2 mg/mL
Dividing the total drug amount (2020 mg) by the total volume (100100 mL) establishes how much medication is in each milliliter.
5
Calculate the final infusion rate.
1212 mL/hr
Dividing the required hourly dose (2.42.4 mg/hr) by the concentration (0.20.2 mg/mL) yields the final volume per hour to program into the pump.

Key Concept

Weight-based intravenous infusion pump rate calculation for critical care medications.
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Topics

Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies

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