Questions: The physician's order is for Demerol 65 milligrams IM every 4 hours as needed for pain. The Demerol label reads 100 milligrams in 2 milliliters. What do you give to the patient? A) 0.8 mL B) 2 mL C) 1.3 mL D) 5.2 mL

The physician's order is for Demerol 65 milligrams IM every 4 hours as needed for pain. The Demerol label reads 100 milligrams in 2 milliliters. What do you give to the patient?
A) 0.8 mL
B) 2 mL
C) 1.3 mL
D) 5.2 mL

Transcript text: The physician's order is for Demerol 65 milligrams IM every 4 hours as needed for pain. The Demerol label reads 100 milligrams in 2 milliliters. What do you give to the patient? A) 0.8 mL B) 2 mL C) 1.3 mL D) 5.2 mL

Solution

Solution Steps

To determine the correct dosage in milliliters, we need to calculate the volume of Demerol that contains 65 milligrams. We know from the label that 100 milligrams is contained in 2 milliliters. We can set up a proportion to find the volume that corresponds to 65 milligrams.

Step 1: Determine the Dosage Required

The physician's order specifies a dosage of \( 65 \, \text{mg} \) of Demerol.

Step 2: Understand the Concentration of the Medication

The label indicates that \( 100 \, \text{mg} \) of Demerol is contained in \( 2 \, \text{mL} \). This gives us the concentration of the medication.

Step 3: Set Up the Proportion

To find the volume \( V \) in milliliters that corresponds to \( 65 \, \text{mg} \), we can set up the following proportion: \[ \frac{65 \, \text{mg}}{V \, \text{mL}} = \frac{100 \, \text{mg}}{2 \, \text{mL}} \]

Step 4: Solve for Volume

Cross-multiplying gives: \[ 65 \, \text{mg} \cdot 2 \, \text{mL} = 100 \, \text{mg} \cdot V \, \text{mL} \] \[ 130 = 100V \] \[ V = \frac{130}{100} = 1.3 \, \text{mL} \]