A nurse is preparing to administer potassium chloride 20 mEq suspension PO daily. The amount available is potassium chloride suspension 10 mEq/mL. How many mL should the nurse administer? (Round the answer to the nearest tenth/whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)
The Correct answer and Explanation is:
To determine how many milliliters (mL) of potassium chloride suspension the nurse should administer, we need to use the formula for calculating medication dosage:
Amount to administer (mL)=Ordered dose (mEq)Concentration (mEq/mL)\text{Amount to administer (mL)} = \frac{\text{Ordered dose (mEq)}}{\text{Concentration (mEq/mL)}}Amount to administer (mL)=Concentration (mEq/mL)Ordered dose (mEq)
Given:
- Ordered dose: 20 mEq
- Concentration of available suspension: 10 mEq/mL
Using the formula, we can calculate:
Amount to administer (mL)=20 mEq10 mEq/mL=2 mL\text{Amount to administer (mL)} = \frac{20 \text{ mEq}}{10 \text{ mEq/mL}} = 2 \text{ mL}Amount to administer (mL)=10 mEq/mL20 mEq=2 mL
Therefore, the nurse should administer 2 mL of the potassium chloride suspension.
Explanation:
- Understanding Dosage Calculations: Medication dosage calculations often require understanding the concentration of the drug and the prescribed dose. Concentration tells us how much drug is present in each unit of the solution (mL in this case).
- Formula Application: The formula for dosage calculation is straightforward. It involves dividing the ordered dose by the concentration to determine the volume needed. In this scenario:
- Ordered Dose: The prescribed dose is 20 mEq.
- Concentration: The available suspension is 10 mEq/mL.
- Calculation Steps:
- Divide the ordered dose (20 mEq) by the concentration (10 mEq/mL).
- This division gives us the amount of suspension required in milliliters.
- Rounding: The result of the division in this case is a whole number (2), so rounding to the nearest tenth or whole number isn’t necessary.
- Verification: Always verify the dosage and concentration. In practice, double-checking calculations helps avoid medication errors.
In summary, by dividing the prescribed dose by the concentration of the available solution, the nurse determines that 2 mL of potassium chloride suspension is needed. This ensures the patient receives the correct amount of medication as ordered.