A nurse is preparing to administer heparin 7,500 units subcutaneous. Available is heparin 10,000 units/mL. How many ml. should the nurse administer? (Round the answer to the nearest hundredth. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine how many milliliters of heparin to administer, follow these steps:
- Identify the information given:
- Heparin dose required: 7,500 units
- Heparin concentration available: 10,000 units/mL
- Set up the proportion: We need to find out how many milliliters (xxx) of the heparin solution will give us the required 7,500 units.The formula to use is:Volume(x)=Dose requiredConcentration available\text{Volume} (x) = \frac{\text{Dose required}}{\text{Concentration available}}Volume(x)=Concentration availableDose required
- Plug in the numbers:x=7,500 units10,000 units/mLx = \frac{7,500 \text{ units}}{10,000 \text{ units/mL}}x=10,000 units/mL7,500 units
- Calculate the volume:x=7,50010,000=0.75 mLx = \frac{7,500}{10,000} = 0.75 \text{ mL}x=10,0007,500=0.75 mL
So, the nurse should administer 0.75 mL of heparin.
Explanation:
Heparin is an anticoagulant medication used to prevent and treat blood clots. It’s administered in units, and it’s crucial to measure the correct amount to ensure effectiveness and safety. The concentration of the heparin solution dictates how many units are in each milliliter of the solution.
In this scenario, the available heparin concentration is 10,000 units per milliliter, which means each milliliter of this solution contains 10,000 units of heparin. The prescribed dose is 7,500 units. To determine the volume needed, we use the formula x=Dose requiredConcentration availablex = \frac{\text{Dose required}}{\text{Concentration available}}x=Concentration availableDose required.
By dividing the required dose (7,500 units) by the concentration of the heparin solution (10,000 units/mL), we get the amount of solution needed in milliliters. This calculation ensures the correct dose is administered to achieve the desired therapeutic effect while minimizing the risk of complications associated with incorrect dosing.
Always remember to round the final answer to the nearest hundredth as specified, and use leading zeros if necessary to ensure clarity. In this case, 0.75 mL is accurate and clear, meeting the rounding and formatting requirements.