If a patient requires 500 mL of a solution to be infused over 4 hours, what would be the drip rate in gtt/min if the drip factor is 15 gtt/mL?

To find the correct drip rate in drops per minute (gtt/min), it's essential to use the information provided: the total volume to be infused, the infusion time, and the drip factor.

First, convert the total volume from milliliters to a usable format for the calculation. In this case, the volume is already given as 500 mL. The next step involves determining how many minutes are in 4 hours. Since 1 hour equals 60 minutes, multiplying 4 by 60 yields 240 minutes.

Now that you know the total volume (500 mL) and the total time (240 minutes), you can calculate the flow rate in mL per minute:

Flow rate (mL/min) = Total volume (mL) / Total time (min)

Flow rate = 500 mL / 240 min = approximately 2.08 mL/min.

Next, to convert this mL/min rate to drops per minute using the drip factor, you multiply the mL/min rate by the drip factor (15 gtt/mL):

Drip rate (gtt/min) = Flow rate (mL/min) × Drip factor (gtt/mL)

Drip rate = 2.08