Questions: A 4-week-old infant weighing 5 kg is admitted to the hospital for a fever. The physician orders acetaminophen 15 mg / kg PO q4h prn fever. Acetaminophen is available as 160 mg / 5 mL. How many mL will the nurse administer?

A 4-week-old infant weighing 5 kg is admitted to the hospital for a fever. The physician orders acetaminophen 15 mg / kg PO q4h prn fever. Acetaminophen is available as 160 mg / 5 mL. How many mL will the nurse administer?

Transcript text: A 4-week-old infant weighing 5 kg is admitted to the hosptial for a fever. The physician orders acetaminophen $15 \mathrm{mg} / \mathrm{kg}$ PO q4h prn fever. Acetaminophen is available as $160 \mathrm{mg} / 5 \mathrm{~mL}$. How many mL will the nurse administer?

Solution

Solution Steps

To determine how many mL of acetaminophen the nurse should administer, we need to calculate the total milligrams required based on the infant's weight and then convert that dosage into milliliters using the concentration of the available acetaminophen solution.

Calculate the total milligrams of acetaminophen needed: Multiply the infant's weight by the dosage per kilogram.
Convert the required milligrams to milliliters using the concentration of the acetaminophen solution.

Step 1: Calculate Total Milligrams Needed

To determine the total milligrams of acetaminophen required, multiply the infant's weight by the dosage per kilogram: \[ \text{Total mg needed} = \text{weight in kg} \times \text{dosage in mg/kg} = 5 \, \text{kg} \times 15 \, \text{mg/kg} = 75 \, \text{mg} \]

Step 2: Convert Milligrams to Milliliters

Using the concentration of the acetaminophen solution, convert the required milligrams to milliliters: \[ \text{Concentration} = \frac{160 \, \text{mg}}{5 \, \text{mL}} = 32 \, \text{mg/mL} \] \[ \text{mL to administer} = \frac{\text{Total mg needed}}{\text{Concentration}} = \frac{75 \, \text{mg}}{32 \, \text{mg/mL}} \approx 2.34375 \, \text{mL} \]