A child with peripheral edema who weighs 44 pounds receives a prescription for furosemide 2 mg/kg intravenously every 12 hours. The medication is available at 10 mg/mL. How many mL should the nurse administer? (Enter numeric value only)
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine how many milliliters of furosemide to administer, follow these steps:
Step-by-Step Calculation:
- Convert the Child’s Weight to Kilograms:
The child’s weight is given in pounds. To convert pounds to kilograms, use the conversion factor:
[
\text{Weight (kg)} = \text{Weight (lb)} \div 2.2046
]
For a weight of 44 pounds:
[
\text{Weight (kg)} = 44 \, \text{lb} \div 2.2046 \approx 19.96 \, \text{kg}
]
You can round this to 20 kg for simplicity. - Calculate the Dose in Milligrams:
The prescription is for 2 mg/kg. Multiply the child’s weight in kilograms by the dose per kilogram:
[
\text{Dose (mg)} = 2 \, \text{mg/kg} \times 20 \, \text{kg} = 40 \, \text{mg}
] - Determine the Volume of Medication to Administer:
The medication is available at a concentration of 10 mg/mL. To find out how many milliliters contain 40 mg, use the formula:
[
\text{Volume (mL)} = \frac{\text{Dose (mg)}}{\text{Concentration (mg/mL)}}
]
Substitute the values:
[
\text{Volume (mL)} = \frac{40 \, \text{mg}}{10 \, \text{mg/mL}} = 4 \, \text{mL}
]
Explanation:
Furosemide is a diuretic used to treat edema by promoting the excretion of excess fluid. When administering furosemide, it’s crucial to calculate the dose accurately based on the child’s weight. Since medications are often dosed in mg/kg, converting the child’s weight to kilograms allows for precise dosing.
In this problem, we converted the child’s weight from pounds to kilograms, calculated the total dose required based on the weight, and then used the concentration of the medication to determine the volume to administer. This ensures the child receives the correct dose of furosemide in milliliters based on the available concentration.
Thus, the nurse should administer 4 mL of furosemide.