Question

A hospital pharmacy prepares fifteen 100 mL epidurals each week. Each epidural contains 0.125% bupivacaine. The pharmacy's wholesaler stocks 30 mL vials of 0.5% preservative-free bupivacaine. How many of the 30 mL vials should the pharmacy order from the wholesaler each week

Answer 1

Answer:

12,

Explanation:

Since the hospital prepares fifteen 100 mL epidurals each week, the volume of epidurals V = 15 × 100 mL = 1500 mL. Since each epidural contains 0.125 % bupivacaine, the volume of bupivacaine is 1500 mL × 0.125 = 187.5 mL

Now, the pharmacy's wholesaler has 30 mL vials of 0.5 % preservative free bupivacaine, the volume of bupivacaine  in 1 vial is 30 mL × 0.5 % =  15 mL. Let n be the number of vials required the total volume of n vials is 15 × n = 15n

Since the volume of bupivacaine in the epidurals equals that from the pharmacy's wholesaler, 15n = 187.5  

So, n = 187.5/15 = 12.5

We round down.

So, n ≅ 12

So, the pharmacy should order twelve 30 mL vials each week.