A nurse is preparing to administer morphine 4 mg IV bolus. Available is morphine injection 10 mg/ml. How many ml. should the nurse administer? (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 calculate the amount of morphine (in milliliters) the nurse should administer, use the following formula:Volume to administer (ml)=Desired dose (mg)Concentration (mg/ml)\text{Volume to administer (ml)} = \frac{\text{Desired dose (mg)}}{\text{Concentration (mg/ml)}}Volume to administer (ml)=Concentration (mg/ml)Desired dose (mg)
Given:
- Desired dose = 4 mg
- Concentration of morphine = 10 mg/ml
Now, substitute the values into the formula:Volume to administer (ml)=4 mg10 mg/ml=0.4 ml\text{Volume to administer (ml)} = \frac{4 \, \text{mg}}{10 \, \text{mg/ml}} = 0.4 \, \text{ml}Volume to administer (ml)=10mg/ml4mg=0.4ml
The nurse should administer 0.4 ml of morphine.
Explanation:
In this scenario, the nurse is tasked with administering 4 mg of morphine via an IV bolus. The available solution has a concentration of 10 mg/ml, meaning that each milliliter (ml) of the solution contains 10 mg of morphine.
To ensure safe and accurate administration of medication, it is critical to use a standardized formula to calculate how much of the medication should be given. The basic formula for calculating drug dosages in this context is:Volume to administer=Desired doseAvailable concentration\text{Volume to administer} = \frac{\text{Desired dose}}{\text{Available concentration}}Volume to administer=Available concentrationDesired dose
In this case, the desired dose (4 mg) is the amount of morphine that needs to be administered to the patient, while the available concentration (10 mg/ml) is the strength of the morphine solution on hand. Dividing the desired dose by the available concentration yields the required volume to deliver the correct amount of the drug.
In practical terms, since the morphine concentration is 10 mg per 1 ml, a fraction of this solution must be administered to achieve the desired 4 mg dose. By dividing 4 mg by 10 mg/ml, you determine that the nurse must administer 0.4 ml to provide the correct dosage.
Proper rounding and adherence to guidelines (e.g., using a leading zero and avoiding a trailing zero) ensure precision and help prevent medication errors, contributing to patient safety. Therefore, 0.4 ml of morphine should be given to the patient in this scenario.