In: Nursing
The primary health care provider ordered erythromycin 600 mg orally in 4 divided doses for a child who weighs 9 kg. Erythromicin is available in a concentration of 200 mg per 5 mL.
The following 4 questions (a, b, c, and d) refer to this prescription.
a) What volume of erythromycin should the nurse prepare for a single dose?
b) The safe oral dose range is 30-50 mg per kg per day divided every 6 hours. Calculate the safe daily dose range for this child.
c) Calculate the safe minimum and maximum single doses for this child
d) Should the nurse administer this medication? Why or
why not?
Data available:
Ordered dose of erythromycin - 600mg in four divided doses.
i.e. 600mg ÷ 4 = 150mg per dose.
Weight of the child - 9kg
Available concentration of Erythromycin - 200mg/5ml.
Safe daily dose - 30 - 50mg/kg/day divided every 6 hours.
Answer to Option a.
The dose of the child is 150mg 4 times a day.
Erythromycin is avalible in the concentration of 200mg/5ml.
Therefore 200mg : 5ml = 150mg : Xml
Xml = 150mg x 5ml ÷ 200mg
X = 3.75ml
The nurse has to administer 3.75ml of erythromycin for a single dose.
Answer to Option b.
The safe daily dose is 30 - 50mg/kg/day in 4 divided doses.
Weight - 9kg
Hence the safe dose can be calculated as follows:
30mg/kg/day
= 30mg x 9kg/day
= 270mg/ day
50mg/kg/day
= 50mg x 9kg/day
=450mg/day.
Therefore the daily safe dose ranges from 270mg/day to 450mg/day divided every 6 hours.
Answer to Option c.
From the above solution, we have derived at the daily safe dose that ranges from 270mg/day to 450mg/day divided in 4 doses.
Therefore the minimum safe single dose is 270mg ÷ 4 = 67.5mg.
Maximum safe dose = 450mg ÷ 4 = 112.5mg (rounded to 113mg).
The minimum safe single dose for the child is 67.5mg and maximum safe single dose is 113mg.
Answer to Option d.
No. The nurse should not administer this medication as the ordered dose (600mg/day) is greater than the maximum safe dose which is 450mg/day.