Questions: A doctor prescribes ampicillin 40 mg / kg to a patient weighing 55 lbs. Ampicillin is available as 500 mg tablets. How many tablets should the nurse administer?
Transcript text: (2 points) A doctor prescribes ampicillin $40 \mathrm{mg} / \mathrm{kg}$ to a patient weighing 55 lbs . Ampicillin is available as 500 mg tablets. How many tablets should the nurse administer?
Solution
Solution Steps
Step 1: Convert Weight to Kilograms
To convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms, we use the conversion factor 1 lb=0.453592 kg. Thus, the weight in kilograms is calculated as:
weightkg=55 lbs×0.453592 kg/lb≈24.94756 kg
Step 2: Calculate Total Dosage Required
The prescribed dosage of ampicillin is 40 mg/kg. Therefore, the total dosage required in milligrams is given by:
total dosagemg=weightkg×40 mg/kg≈24.94756 kg×40 mg/kg≈997.9024 mg
Step 3: Determine Number of Tablets Needed
Ampicillin is available in 500 mg tablets. To find the number of tablets required, we divide the total dosage by the dosage per tablet:
num tablets=500 mgtotal dosagemg≈500 mg997.9024 mg≈1.9958048
Since the nurse cannot administer a fraction of a tablet, we round up to the nearest whole number, resulting in:
num tablets rounded=2