College

The physician orders Orapred 45 mg twice a day po for an asthmatic child weighing 94 lb.

You have Orapred 15 mg/5 mL. The recommended oral dosage is 0.5 to 2 mg/kg/24 h divided twice a day. Maximum dosage is not to exceed 80 mg/24 h.

a. Child's weight in kg.

b. What is a safe dosage range for this child?

c. Is the order safe?

d. Would you administer this medication as dosed? If not, why not?

Answer :

To address this question, we'll break it down step-by-step:

a. Convert the child's weight from pounds to kilograms.

Weight in pounds (lb) = 94 lb.

To convert pounds to kilograms, use the conversion factor:

[tex]\text{Weight in kg} = \frac{\text{Weight in lb}}{2.20462}[/tex]

[tex]\text{Weight in kg} = \frac{94}{2.20462} \approx 42.64 \text{ kg}[/tex]

So, the child's weight is approximately 42.64 kg.

b. Calculate the safe dosage range for this child.

The recommended oral dosage is 0.5 to 2 mg/kg/24 h divided twice a day.

  • Minimum daily dosage:

[tex]0.5 \text{ mg/kg} \times 42.64 \text{ kg} = 21.32 \text{ mg/24 h}[/tex]

  • Maximum daily dosage:

[tex]2 \text{ mg/kg} \times 42.64 \text{ kg} = 85.28 \text{ mg/24 h}[/tex]

However, the maximum dosage is not to exceed 80 mg/24 h. So, the range is:

21.32 mg/24 h to 80 mg/24 h

c. Determine if the order is safe.

The physician's order is 45 mg twice a day, which totals:

[tex]45 \text{ mg} \times 2 = 90 \text{ mg/24 h}[/tex]

Since 90 mg/24 h exceeds the maximum safe dosage of 80 mg/24 h, the order is not safe.

d. Would you administer this medication as dosed? If not, why not?

No, I would not administer this medication as dosed because the total prescribed daily dosage of 90 mg exceeds the recommended maximum of 80 mg/24 h. Administering a dosage higher than the safe range could increase the risk of adverse effects. I would recommend discussing this with the prescribing physician to adjust the dosage appropriately.