Asynchronous activity – IV Therapy

1. Nurse Wendell will infuse 1 ½ L of NS in over 7 hours; Drop factor: 15 gtt/mL. What flow rate
(mL/hr) will nurse Wendell set on the IV infusion pump? If the infusion started at 3 AM, what
time will the infusion needs to be changed?

2. Nurse Sandra will infuse 1,200 mL of 0.45% Normal Saline at 125 mL/hr. Drop Factor: 12 gtt/mL.
How many gtts/min will nurse Sandra regulate the IV? How many hours will the IV solution run?
If the infusion started at 10 AM, how much is the fluid volume after 5 hours?

3. Nurse Sarah will infuse 250 mL of platelets IV over 2 hr 30 min with a drop factor of 10 drops per
mL. What flow rate (mL/hr) will nurse Sarah set on the IV infusion pump?

4. At the change of shift, you notice 200 ml left to count in your patient’s IV bag. The IV is infusing
at 80 ml/hr. How much longer in hours will the IV run? How much IV fluid will be left after 5
hours?

5. A health care provider orders cefoxitin (Mefoxin) 0.5 g in 275 mL of D5W to infuse IVPB over 2
hours; Drop Factor: 60 gtt/mL. How many gtts/min will you regulate the IV?

6. You have an order to infuse 500 mL normal saline IV over 4 hours. How many drops per minute
will you set on gravity tubing that delivers 10 gtts/mL? How much of the infusion (mL) will be
consumed on an hourly rate?

7. A healthcare provider orders 1 liter of NSS to be infused over 24 hours using a microdrip set. You
will set the flow rate at how many drops per minute to accomplish this order? If the infusion
started 8 PM, what time should the solution be changed? How much IV fluid will be left at 5
AM?

8. A 58-year-old male patient was diagnosed with pneumonia and was brought under your care.
The patient complains of difficulty of breathing, chest pain of 5/10, and coughing with phlegm.
Your initial assessment reveals a respiratory rate of 33 bpm, temperature of 38.1ºC, heart rate
of 90 bpm, and blood pressure of 110/80. His physician ordered an infusion of 1,000 mL of
normal saline to be administered over the next eight (8) hours using a macroset with a drop
factor of 10 drops per mL. You initiated the IV at 1:00 PM during your shift. With the current
rate, at what time would you hang the next bag? How much should be consumed per hour?
What is the flow rate per minute?
Asynchronous activity – IV Therapy

CASE PRESENTATION
A 25-year-old male presents with high fever (40ºC), chills, weight loss, and anorexia. He also complains
of abdominal pain. Your assessment of his vital signs reveals a heart rate of 110 bpm, respiration of 28
per minute, and blood pressure of 100/80 mmHg. Lungs are clear during auscultation and the rest of the
physical assessment is unremarkable. Blood culture was ordered and confirms the diagnosis of systemic
candidiasis. The physician orders an infusion of 50 milligrams of amphotericin B (Fungizone) in 250
milliliters of normal saline over 4 hours and 15 minutes in tubing with a drop factor of 12 drops per
minute. After 30 minutes, redness and swelling at the infusion site is observed. The patient reported of a
burning sensation on the site.

Task 1: Compute the flow rate, gtts/hr and cc/hr.

Task 2: Devise nursing interventions, including the rationale, for the case presented