Answer :
To determine the IV pump rate for Dobutamine, the patient's weight is converted to kilograms, the dosage needed per minute is calculated, and then the flow rate is computed using a proportion based on the medication concentration. The IV pump rate should be set to approximately 6.65 ml/hr.
To calculate the IV pump rate for administering Dobutamine, we first need to convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms. Since there are 2.2 pounds in a kilogram, we divide the patient's weight by 2.2:
195 lb / 2.2 = 88.64 kg (rounded to two decimal places)
Next, we calculate the total dosage of Dobutamine needed per minute:
5 mcg/kg/min * 88.64 kg = 443.2 mcg/min
Now, we convert micrograms to milligrams since the pre-mix bag's concentration is in milligrams:
443.2 mcg/min * (1 mg / 1000 mcg) = 0.4432 mg/min
Since the bag contains 1000 mg in 250 ml, we set up a proportion to find the rate at which the solution must be administered:
(0.4432 mg/min) / (1000 mg) = (x ml/min) / (250 ml)
x ml/min = (0.4432 mg/min) * (250 ml) / (1000 mg)
x = 0.1108 ml/min
To find the rate in ml/hr, which is a common IV pump setting, we multiply by 60:
0.1108 ml/min * 60 min/hr = 6.648 ml/hr
The IV pump rate should be set to approximately 6.65 ml/hr.
