A physician prescribes 1000 mL of normal saline 0.45% for infusion over 8 hours. What is the flow rate in drops per minute, given that the drop factor is 10 gtt/mL?

To determine the flow rate in drops per minute for the prescribed infusion, start by calculating the total volume to be infused and the time frame for the infusion. In this scenario, the physician has prescribed 1000 mL of 0.45% normal saline to be infused over a duration of 8 hours.

First, convert the infusion time from hours to minutes since the final answer needs to be in drops per minute:

• 8 hours = 8 * 60 minutes = 480 minutes.

Next, calculate the flow rate in mL per minute by dividing the total volume by the total infusion time:

• Flow rate (mL/min) = Total volume (mL) / Total time (min) = 1000 mL / 480 min ≈ 2.08 mL/min.

Now, to convert the flow rate from mL/min to drops/min, we use the drop factor provided, which is 10 gtt/mL:

• Flow rate (gtt/min) = Flow rate (mL/min) × Drop factor (gtt/mL)
• Flow rate (gtt/min) = 2.08 mL/min × 10 gtt/mL = 20.8 gtt