A nurse is preparing to administer clindamycin 900 mg by intermittent IV bolus over 30 min. Available is clindamycin 900 mg in 100 mL dextrose 5% (D5W). The nurse should set the IV pump to deliver how many mL/hr?
(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 IV pump rate for administering clindamycin, follow these steps:
- Understand the Prescribed Dose and Time:
- You need to administer 900 mg of clindamycin in 100 mL of D5W over 30 minutes.
- Convert the Time to Hours:
- Since the IV infusion needs to be delivered over 30 minutes, convert this time to hours.
[ \text{Time in hours} = \frac{30 \text{ minutes}}{60 \text{ minutes/hour}} = 0.5 \text{ hours} ]
- Calculate the Infusion Rate:
- The total volume of the solution to be infused is 100 mL.
- The time for infusion is 0.5 hours.
- To find the infusion rate in mL per hour (mL/hr), use the formula:
[ \text{Infusion Rate (mL/hr)} = \frac{\text{Total Volume (mL)}}{\text{Total Time (hours)}} ]
[ \text{Infusion Rate (mL/hr)} = \frac{100 \text{ mL}}{0.5 \text{ hours}} ]
[ \text{Infusion Rate (mL/hr)} = 200 \text{ mL/hr} ]
- Round to the Nearest Whole Number:
- In this case, 200 mL/hr is already a whole number, so no additional rounding is required.
Explanation:
To administer a medication intravenously at a specific rate, it is crucial to accurately calculate the infusion rate based on the total volume of the solution and the duration of administration. In this scenario, clindamycin is to be delivered over 30 minutes in a volume of 100 mL. Converting the time from minutes to hours helps standardize the calculation, as IV infusion rates are commonly expressed in mL/hr.
By dividing the total volume (100 mL) by the time (0.5 hours), you obtain the infusion rate necessary to ensure the medication is delivered within the specified timeframe. This calculation ensures that the medication is administered at the correct rate to achieve therapeutic effectiveness while minimizing potential complications. Thus, setting the IV pump to 200 mL/hr ensures that the 100 mL of clindamycin solution is infused within the 30-minute period.