Question

A client who weighs 176 pounds is receiving an iv infusion with esmolol hydrochloride (brevibloc) at 48 ml/hour. the iv solution is labeled with the concentration of brevibloc 10 mg/ml. how many mcg/kg/minute is the client receiving?

Answer 1

Convert pounds to kg by dividing 176 pounds by 2.2 pounds = 80 kg. Convert the IV concentration from mg to mcg. 1 mg : 1000 mcg :: 10 mg : 10,000 mcg. Infusion rate (48 ml/hour) x concentration (10,000 mcg/ml) divided by 60 minutes/hour x 80 kg = 48 x 10,000 divided by 60 x 80 = 480,000 / 4800 = 100 mcg/kg/minute