Questions: A nurse is preparing to administer dextrose 5% in water (D5W) 250 mL via IV to infuse over 45 min. The nurse should set the IV pump to deliver how many mL/hr? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)

Solution Steps

To find the rate at which the IV pump should be set, we need to determine how many milliliters per hour (mL/hr) are required to deliver 250 mL over 45 minutes. First, convert the infusion time from minutes to hours. Then, divide the total volume (250 mL) by the time in hours to find the rate in mL/hr. Finally, round the result to the nearest whole number.

The infusion time is given as 45 minutes. To convert this to hours, use the conversion factor \( \frac{1 \text{ hour}}{60 \text{ minutes}} \). Thus, the infusion time in hours is: \[ \text{Infusion time (hours)} = \frac{45 \text{ minutes}}{60} = 0.75 \text{ hours} \]

To find the infusion rate in milliliters per hour, divide the total volume to be infused by the infusion time in hours. The total volume is 250 mL. Therefore, the infusion rate is: \[ \text{Rate (mL/hr)} = \frac{250 \text{ mL}}{0.75 \text{ hours}} = 333.3333 \text{ mL/hr} \]

The calculated infusion rate is 333.3333 mL/hr. Rounding this to the nearest whole number gives: \[ \text{Rounded rate (mL/hr)} = 333 \text{ mL/hr} \]

Final Answer