Nurse is preparing to administer hydroxyzine HCL 50 mg PO. Available is hydroxyzine oral suspension 25 mg/5 mL. How many mL should the nurse administer? (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 amount of hydroxyzine oral suspension to administer, you need to use the formula for medication dosage calculations:
[ \text{Volume to Administer (mL)} = \frac{\text{Desired Dose (mg)}}{\text{Concentration of Medication (mg/mL)}} ]
Here’s the step-by-step calculation for this problem:
- Determine the Desired Dose:
The desired dose is 50 mg of hydroxyzine HCL. - Identify the Concentration of the Medication:
The concentration of the hydroxyzine oral suspension is 25 mg per 5 mL. To find the concentration in mg/mL, divide the total mg by the volume in mL: [
\text{Concentration} = \frac{25 \text{ mg}}{5 \text{ mL}} = 5 \text{ mg/mL}
] - Calculate the Volume to Administer:
Use the dosage calculation formula: [
\text{Volume to Administer (mL)} = \frac{50 \text{ mg}}{5 \text{ mg/mL}}
] Simplify this: [
\text{Volume to Administer (mL)} = 10 \text{ mL}
]
So, the nurse should administer 10 mL of hydroxyzine oral suspension.
Explanation:
In medication administration, it is crucial to accurately convert the ordered dose into the amount of liquid medication to administer. The concentration of the medication helps determine how much of the liquid form contains the desired amount of the active ingredient.
- Desired Dose Calculation: The prescribed dose (50 mg) needs to be converted based on the available concentration.
- Concentration Calculation: Since the suspension concentration is 25 mg in 5 mL, converting this to mg/mL (which is 5 mg/mL) allows for easier calculation.
- Volume Determination: Using the concentration, you divide the total dose by the concentration to find out how many mL are needed to achieve the desired dose.
In this example, dividing 50 mg by 5 mg/mL results in 10 mL, which is the volume to administer to provide the patient with the correct dose of hydroxyzine HCL. Rounding is not necessary here since the calculation results in a whole number.