In: Nursing
A medication order calls for the following premixed IV fluid to be infused at 125 mL/hr.
The maximum recommended rate of infusion for KCl through a peripheral line is 10mEq/hr. To check that this infusion which is running at a rate of 125 mL/hr is below the maximum recommended rate, calculate the infusion rate of KCl in mEq/hr. Please round the final answer to two decimal places, except no trailing zeros.
Solution:
Maximum recommended rate of infusion for KCl through a peripheral line =10mEq/hr
Medication order infusion rate=125ml/hr
Now, 1ml of fluid=1000mEq.
So, to check if the infusion is below the recommended rate, we need to calculate its infusion rate in mEq/hr.
So, 1ml=1000mEq
And the amount of KCl in a litre is 4mEq.
So, in 125ml of fluid, KCl= 4×125/1000=0.5mEq
So the medication which has been orderes at a rate of 125ml/hr has an infusion rate of 0.5mEq/hr which is below the maximum recommended infusion rate of 10mEq/hr .