IV Drip Rate Calculations
Calculating IV Drip Rates (Continued)
Your treating a known diabetic, the patient is alert and oriented however their CBG reads "high". You start an IV and decide to run a normal saline infusion at 500 cc per hour.
How many drops per minute should you set the blood set?
| 500 (volume to infuse in cc) X 10 (drop factor of set) 60 |
| (time in minutes) |
| First see if the numbers can be reduced: | 500 X 10 | = | 500 X 1 | = | 500 |
| 60 | 6 | 6 |
Then divide the top by the bottom number : 500 / 6 = 83.3
Round that to 83 and that's the drops per minute for the infusion - 83 gtt/min
Test your knowledge before going on...
After your radio report to the hospital, the ER doctor wants the IV reduced to 300 cc an hour, what's correct the rate?