A nurse is preparing to administer nitroglycerin 20 mcg/min by continuous IV infusion for a client who has angina. Available is nitroglycerin 25 mg in dextrose 5% in water 250mL. The nurse should set the IV pump to deliver how many mL/hr?
To calculate the mL/hr for a continuous IV infusion, we need to first determine the total amount of nitroglycerin in the IV bag.
Given:
- Nitroglycerin concentration: 25 mg/250 mL
- Nitroglycerin infusion rate: 20 mcg/min
First, convert 20 mcg to mg:
20 mcg = 0.02 mg
Next, determine the total amount of nitroglycerin needed in 1 hour:
0.02 mg/min * 60 min = 1.2 mg/hr
Now, calculate the mL/hr needed to deliver 1.2 mg of nitroglycerin:
25 mg/250 mL = 1.2 mg/x mL
x = 1.2 mg * 250 mL / 25 mg
x = 12 mL
Therefore, the nurse should set the IV pump to deliver 12 mL/hr for the continuous infusion of nitroglycerin at 20 mcg/min.