Volume/Time - IV Drop Rate Questions
Given a certain amount of liquid, a time period, and a drop factor (gtts/mL), what is the necessary IV flow rate in gtts/min? Measurement used when IV is regulated manually. Because it is not possible to give a patient a fraction of a drop, it is typical to round answers for these problems up or down to the nearest whole number.Formula:
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x | Drop Factor (gtts/mL)Drop Fctr (gtts/mL) | = | Y (Flow Rate in gtts/min)Y (gtts/min) |
Example: Calculate the IV flow rate for 1200 mL of NS to be infused in 6 hours. The infusion set is calibrated for a drop factor of 15 gtts/mL.
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x | Drop Factor (gtts/mL)Drop Fctr (gtts/mL) | = | Y (Flow Rate in gtts/min)Y (gtts/min) |
- min ← hr ( x by 60 )
- 6 hr x 60 = 360 min
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x | 15 gtts/mL | = | 50 gtts/min |
Example: Calculate the IV flow rate for 200 mL of 0.9% NaCl IV over 120 minutes. Infusion set has drop factor of 20 gtts/mL.
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x | Drop Factor (gtts/mL)Drop Fctr (gtts/mL) | = | Y (Flow Rate in gtts/min)Y (gtts/min) |
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x | 20 gtts/mL | = | 33 gtts/min |