For an order of 1000 mL of D5½NS to infuse in 6 hours, what is the calculated drip rate in gtt per minute?

To determine the drip rate for an infusion of 1000 mL of D5½NS (5% dextrose in half-normal saline) over a 6-hour period, you must first convert the infusion time from hours to minutes, which involves multiplying the number of hours by 60. In this case, 6 hours equals 360 minutes.

Next, calculate the infusion rate in mL per minute by dividing the total volume of fluid (1000 mL) by the total infusion time (360 minutes). This calculation results in an infusion rate of approximately 2.78 mL per minute.

To find the drip rate in drops per minute (gtt/min), you need to know the drop factor of the IV tubing used, which can vary but is often 15 gtt/mL (commonly referred to as "standard" IV tubing). You take the calculated infusion rate of 2.78 mL/min and multiply it by the drop factor.

Using the standard drop factor of 15 gtt/mL results in:

2.78 mL/min × 15 gtt/mL = 41.7 gtt/min.

If we round this value, we achieve a rate closer to 42 gtt