A client is receiving an IV infusion of regular insulin 60 units in 100 mL of normal saline at 5 units/hour. How many mL/hour should the nurse program the infusion pump? (Enter numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest whole number.)
The correct answer and Explanation is :
To determine how many mL/hour the nurse should program the infusion pump, we need to use the formula for calculating IV flow rates:
[
\text{Flow rate (mL/hour)} = \left( \frac{\text{Total Volume} (\text{mL})}{\text{Total Dose} (\text{Units})} \right) \times \text{Prescribed Dose (Units/hour)}
]
Given Data:
- Total insulin: 60 units in 100 mL of normal saline
- Infusion rate: 5 units/hour
Step-by-Step Calculation:
- Calculate the mL per unit:
- There are 60 units of insulin in 100 mL of normal saline.
- So, 1 unit of insulin is equivalent to: [
\frac{100 \text{ mL}}{60 \text{ units}} = 1.67 \text{ mL/unit}
]
- Calculate the required mL/hour:
- The prescribed dose is 5 units/hour.
- To find the flow rate in mL/hour, multiply the mL per unit by the units per hour: [
1.67 \text{ mL/unit} \times 5 \text{ units/hour} = 8.33 \text{ mL/hour}
]
- Round to the nearest whole number:
- 8.33 mL/hour rounds to 8 mL/hour.
Final Answer: 8 mL/hour
Explanation:
The problem involves calculating the infusion rate for a patient receiving a continuous IV infusion of regular insulin. Since 60 units of insulin are diluted in 100 mL of normal saline, we first determine how many mL of solution correspond to each unit of insulin (1.67 mL per unit). Then, using the prescribed infusion rate of 5 units/hour, we multiply this by the mL/unit to find the required flow rate in mL/hour (8.33 mL/hour). Rounding to the nearest whole number gives the final answer of 8 mL/hour. This ensures the client receives the correct insulin dosage over time.