A nurse is preparing to administer heparin 10,000 units subcutaneously every 8 hours. The available heparin injection is 20,000 units/mL. How many milliliters should the nurse administer per dose? (Round the answer to the nearest tenth. 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 per dose, you can use the following steps:
1. Understand the Prescription:
- The prescription is for 10,000 units of heparin every 8 hours.
2. Understand the Available Solution:
- The available heparin solution is 20,000 units per milliliter (20,000 units/mL).
3. Use the Formula:
To find out how many milliliters of the solution are needed to get 10,000 units, you can use the formula:
[ \text{Volume to administer} = \frac{\text{Dose required}}{\text{Concentration of solution}} ]
Here:
- Dose required = 10,000 units
- Concentration of solution = 20,000 units/mL
4. Plug in the Values:
[ \text{Volume to administer} = \frac{10,000 \text{ units}}{20,000 \text{ units/mL}} ]
5. Perform the Calculation:
[ \text{Volume to administer} = 0.5 \text{ mL} ]
6. Round the Answer:
In this case, the answer is 0.5 mL. Since it is already to the nearest tenth, no further rounding is needed.
Explanation:
When administering medications, it is crucial to ensure accuracy to avoid dosing errors. The concentration of the medication (20,000 units/mL) tells us how many units are in each milliliter of solution. To determine how much of this solution is needed to deliver the prescribed dose (10,000 units), you divide the dose by the concentration. This calculation ensures that the patient receives the correct amount of medication. By dividing 10,000 units by 20,000 units/mL, you find that you need 0.5 mL of the solution. This precise measurement helps ensure that the patient receives the intended therapeutic dose.