A nurse is preparing to administer clindamycin 1,200 mg IV bolus over 1 hr to a client who is allergic to penicillin. Available is clindamycin 1,200 mg in dextrose 5% in water 100 mL. The drop factor on the manual IV tubing is 15 gtt/mL. The nurse should set the flow rate to deliver how many gtt/min? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
To determine the flow rate for administering clindamycin, we need to calculate the number of drops per minute (gtt/min) required to deliver the medication over the specified time.
Steps to Calculate the Flow Rate
- Determine the Total Volume to be Administered: The total volume of the IV solution is 100 mL.
- Determine the Total Time for Infusion: The infusion time is 1 hour, which is equivalent to 60 minutes.
- Determine the Drop Factor: The drop factor on the manual IV tubing is 15 gtt/mL.
- Calculate the Flow Rate in gtt/min: To calculate the flow rate, use the formula:Flow Rate (gtt/min)=Total Volume (mL)×Drop Factor (gtt/mL)Total Time (min)\text{Flow Rate (gtt/min)} = \frac{\text{Total Volume (mL)} \times \text{Drop Factor (gtt/mL)}}{\text{Total Time (min)}}Flow Rate (gtt/min)=Total Time (min)Total Volume (mL)×Drop Factor (gtt/mL)Plugging in the values:Flow Rate (gtt/min)=100 mL×15 gtt/mL60 min\text{Flow Rate (gtt/min)} = \frac{100 \text{ mL} \times 15 \text{ gtt/mL}}{60 \text{ min}}Flow Rate (gtt/min)=60 min100 mL×15 gtt/mL Flow Rate (gtt/min)=150060\text{Flow Rate (gtt/min)} = \frac{1500}{60}Flow Rate (gtt/min)=601500 Flow Rate (gtt/min)=25\text{Flow Rate (gtt/min)} = 25Flow Rate (gtt/min)=25
Explanation
- Total Volume: The volume of the IV fluid is 100 mL, which is straightforward as it’s the amount of solution that will be infused.
- Infusion Time: The infusion needs to be completed in 60 minutes. Converting this time into minutes helps us calculate how many drops are needed each minute.
- Drop Factor: The drop factor (15 gtt/mL) represents the number of drops needed to make up 1 mL of fluid. It helps convert the volume of fluid to the number of drops required.
- Flow Rate Calculation: By multiplying the total volume by the drop factor and then dividing by the total time, you get the rate at which to administer the fluid. This calculation ensures the medication is delivered over the correct period.
Thus, the nurse should set the flow rate to 25 gtt/min to administer the clindamycin 1,200 mg IV bolus over 1 hour.