High School

A procainamide drip is ordered (2 gm in 250 cc of D5W) to infuse at 4 mg/kg/min. The patient weighs 165 lbs.

Calculate the drip rate in cc/hr for which the infusion pump will be set.

Answer :

To determine the drip rate for a procainamide infusion, we convert the patient's weight to kilograms, calculate the dosage in mg/min, determine the concentration of the solution, and convert the final rate to cc/hr. The infusion pump should be set to 2250 cc/hr.

To calculate the drip rate, follow these steps:

  1. Convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms.
    • 165 lbs ÷ 2.2 = 75 kg
  2. Calculate the dosage in mg/min.
    • 4 mg/kg/min × 75 kg = 300 mg/min
  3. Determine the concentration of the procainamide solution.
    • 2 gm = 2000 mg
    • 2000 mg in 250 cc means the concentration is 2000 mg / 250 cc = 8 mg/cc
  4. Calculate the rate of the solution in cc/min
    • 300 mg/min ÷ 8 mg/cc = 37.5 cc/min
  5. Convert from cc/min to cc/hr
    • 37.5 cc/min × 60 min/hr = 2250 cc/hr

Thus, the infusion pump should be set to 2250 cc/hr.

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