WGU Hesi Med Surg
WGU Hesi Med Surg ( 53 Questions)
A patient receives a prescription for oxytocin 2 milliunits/min intravenously (IV) for labor augmentation. The IV bag contains oxytocin 20 units in lactated Ringer's 1 liter. How many mL/hour should the nurse program the infusion pump to deliver? (Enter numerical value only.)
To find the answer, we can use the following steps:
- Convert the dosage of oxytocin from milliunits/min to units/hour by multiplying by 60
- Calculate the concentration of oxytocin in the IV bag by dividing the amount of oxytocin by the volume of solution
- Divide the dosage of oxytocin by the concentration of oxytocin in the IV bag to get the volume to be delivered
Using these steps, we get:
- (dosage of oxytocin in units/hour) = (2) x (60) = 120 milliunits/hour
- (concentration of oxytocin in IV bag) = (20) / (1000) = 0.02 units/mL
- (volume to be delivered in mL/hour) = (120 x 10^-3) / (0.02) = 6 mL/hour
Therefore, the nurse should program the infusion pump to deliver 6 mL/hour of oxytocin in lactated Ringer's to the patient.