THE FOLLOWING FORMULAS NEED TO BE MEMORI ZED:

Example 1: Order: 3000 mL NS IV over 24 hrs.

Drip factor of tubing: 15 gtts/mL.
3000 x 15 gtts/mL 45000
24 hr X 60 min = 1440 = 31.25 = 31gtts/min
***Calculate drip rates to the nearest whole number***
Example 2:
Calculate the drip rate in drops/minute for 50 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride containing 1 g of Ancef to be infused
over a period of 30 minutes. The tubing has a drop factor of 60 drops/ml.
50 mL x 60 gtts/mL 3000
30 min = 30 = 100 = 100 gtts/min


Formula 2: Two Step

Step 1 - Amount of fluid divided by hours to
administer = ml/hr

Step 2
-
ml/hr x Drop Factor
(gtts/ml)
60 min
=
gtts/min


Example:
1. IV therapy is ordered for Mr R. He is to have 2 litres of 0.9% Saline over
12 hours. The IV set delivers 20 drops per ml, calculate the rate
of infusion in drops per minute.

Step 1: First calculate mL/hr by dividing the total volume by the number of hours to be infused.
2L (or 2000 mL)
12 hours = 166.6 or 167 mL/hr

Step 2: Using formula 2
167 mL/hr x 20 gtts/mL
60 minutes = 55.6 or 56 gtts/min


IV FLOW RATES
Practice Problems:
Calculate the flow rate when using an electronic pump (mL/hr):
1. Infuse 1500 cc NS over 24 hours.
2. Infuse1000 cc D5W over 15 hours.
3. Infuse 1000 cc NS over 10 hours.
4. Infuse 600 cc LR over 3 hours.
5. Infuse 2000 cc NS over 24 hours.
6. Infuse Cimetidine 300 mg IVPB mixed in 100 cc
NS over 45 minutes.
7. Infuse Ampicillin 500 mg IVPB mixed in 50 cc NS
over 10 minutes.
8. Infuse Granisetron 20 mg IVPB mixed in 75 cc NS
over 45 minutes.
9. Infuse Ampicillin 500 mg IVPB mixed in 50 cc NS
over 30 minutes.
10. Infuse 30 cc of 3% NS IVPB over 15 minutes.

Answers: 1. 63 cc/hr 2. 67 cc/hr 3. 100 cc/hr
4. 200 cc/hr 5. 83 cc/hr 6. 133 cc/hr 7. 300 cc/hr
8. 100 cc/hr 9. 100 cc/hr 10. 120 cc/hr
________________________________________________________________________________________
Practice Problems
Determine the infusion rate in gtts/min for the following:
1. Order: 1000 cc NS to infuse in 8 hours.
Drip factor of administration set: 15 gtts/cc.

2. Order: 1000 cc NS to infuse in 6 hours.
Drip factor of administration set: 20 gtts/cc.

3. Order: 1000 cc NS to infuse in 10 hours.
Drip factor of administration set: 15 gtts/cc.

4. Order: 500 cc NS to infuse in 4 hours.
Drip factor of administration set: 15 gtts/cc.

5. Order: 85 cc NS to infuse in 1 hour.
Administration set is a micro set.

6. Order: 1500 cc D5W to infuse in 10 hours.
Drip factor of administration set: 15 gtts/cc.

7. Order: 1000 cc NS to infuse in 8 hours.
Drip factor of administration set: 20 gtts/cc.

8. Order: Famotidine 40 mg IVPB mixed in 100 cc NS to
infuse over 30 minutes. Drip factor: 20 gtts/cc.

9. Order: Doxycycline 200 mg IVPB mixed in 100 cc NS
to infuse over 30 minutes. Drip factor: 10 gtts/cc.

10. Order: Vancomycin 500 mg IVPB in 250 cc to infuse
over 45 minutes. Drip factor: 15 gtts/cc.

Answers:
1. 31 gtts/min
2. 56 gtts/min
3. 25 gtts/min
4. 31 gtts/min
5. 85 gtts/min
6. 38 gtts/min
7. 42 gtts/min
8. 67 gtts/min
9. 33 gtts/min
10. 83 gtts/min

IV Flow Rate Calculations:
I n-Class Exercise:
1. Calculate the drip rate for 100 mls of IV Fluids to be given over a half hour via a giving set which
delivers 10 drops/ml.
2. One litre of Normal Saline is charted over 9 hours. The drop factor is 15. Calculate the number of
drops per minute.
3. One and a half litres of Normal Saline is required to be given over 4 hours. Using a giving set which
delivers 10 drops/ml how many drops per minute will need to be given?
4. Calculate the drip rate for 2 litres of IV Fluids to be given over 5 hours via a giving set which delivers
10 drops/ml.
5. Ordered: 1 litre of Dextrose 5% in water over 8 hours using a giving set which delivers 10 drops/ml.
Calculate the rate in drops/minute.
6. You are required to administer 100 mls of IV Fluids over 1 hour. The drop factor is 15. How many
drops per minute are required to start the flow off at the correct rate?
7. You are required to administer 500 mls of Normal Saline over 3.5 hours. The drop factor is 10. How
many drops per minute are required to start the flow off at the correct rate?
8.Calculate the drip rate for 500 mls of Normal Saline to be given over 4.5 hours via a giving set which
delivers 15 drops/ml.
9. You are required to administer 1 litre of Normal Saline over 7 hours. The drop factor is 10. How many
drops per minute are required to start the flow off at the correct rate?
10. One litre of Dextrose 5% in water is charted over 8 hours. The drop factor is 10. Calculate the
number of drops per minute.
11. You are required to administer 3 litres of IV Fluids over 12 hours. The drop factor is 10. How many
drops per minute are required to start the flow off at the correct rate?
12. Calculate the drip rate for 500 mls of Dextrose 5% in water to be given over 4 hours via a giving set
which delivers 15 drops/ml.
13. One and a half litres of IV Fluids is prescribed over 8 hours. The drop factor is 15. How many drops
per minute are required to start the flow off at the correct rate?
14. Three litres of Hartmans (Lactated Ringer's) is charted over 12 hours. The drop factor is 15. The IV
has been running for 9 hours. 800 mls remain. How many drops per minute are needed so that the IV
finishes in the required time?
15. Calculate the drip rate for 100 mls of IV Fluids to be given over 2 hours via a giving set which delivers
60 drops/ml.
16. One litre of Dextrose 5% in water is charted over 3 hours. The drop factor is 10. The IV has been
running for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 500 mls remain. How many drops per minute are needed so that the
IV finishes in the required time?
17. You are required to administer 1 litre of Normal Saline over 7 hours. The drop factor is 15. How
many drops per minute are required to start the flow off at the correct rate?
18. One litre of IV Fluids is charted over 11 hours. The drop factor is 10. The IV has been running for 9
hours and 45 minutes. 100 mls remain. How many drops per minute are needed so that the IV finishes in
the required time?
19. Three litres of Normal Saline is charted over 12 hours. The drop factor is 15. The IV has been
running for 9 hours and 45 minutes. 500 mls remain. How many drops per minute are needed so that the
IV finishes in the required time?
20. One hundred millilitres of IV Fluids is charted over 2.5 hours. The drop factor is 15. Calculate the
number of drops per minute.

IV Flow Rate Calculations:
Take Home Exercises:
1. The physician orders an IV infusion of D5W 1000 ml to infuse over the next eight hours. The IV
tubing that you are using delivers 15gtt/min. What is the correct rate of flow?

2. A patient, admitted with a head injury, has an order for D5NS at 25 ml/hour. The IV tubing has a
calibration of 10gtt/ml. What is the correct rate of flow for this patient?

3. Your patient has an order to infuse 100 ml of D51/2NS with 10MEq of KCl over the next thirty
minutes. The set calibration is 10gtt/ml. What is the correct rate of flow for this patient?

4. The order reads: "Over the next 4 hours, infuse 500 ml of 5% Dextrose in Normal Saline. Add 20 MEq
of KCl to solution." You know that the IV tubing set is calibrated to deliver 10gtt/ml. In drops per
minute, what is the rate of flow?

5. The 10am medications scheduled for your patient include Keflex 1.5 G in 50 ml of a 5% Dextrose
solution. According to the pharmacy, this preparation should be administered in thirty minutes. The IV
tubing on your unit delivers 15 gtts per milliliter. What is the correct rate of flow in drops per minute?

6. 1000cc solution of D5NS with 20,000 units of Heparin is infusing at 20ml per hour. The IV set delivers
60 gtts per cc. How many units of Heparin is the patient receiving each hour?

7. Your patient has an order to receive 800 units of Heparin per hour by continuous intravenous infusion.
If the pharmacy mixes the IV bag to contain a total of 5,000 units of Heparin in 500 ml of D5W, how
many cc's per minute should the patient receive?

8.The physician orders an IV infusion of D5W 1000 ml to infuse over the next eight hours. The IV tubing
that you are using delivers 10 gtt/ml. What is the correct rate of flow (drops per minute)?

9. A patient, admitted with a head injury, has an order to start 1000cc of D5NS at 30ml/hour. The IV
tubing has a calibration of 60 gtt/ml. What is the correct rate of flow for this patient?

10. Your patient has an order to infuse 100 ml of D51/2NS with 40 MEq of KCl over the next 60 minutes.
The set calibration is 15 gtt/ml. What is the correct rate of flow for this patient?

11. The 10am medications scheduled for your patient include Keflex 2.0 g in 100 ml of a 5% Dextrose
solution. According to the pharmacy, this preparation should be administered in thirty minutes. The IV
tubing on your unit delivers 10 gtts per milliliter. What is the correct rate of flow in drops per minute?

12. A 500 cc solution of D5NS with 20,000 units of Heparin is infusing at 20ml per hour. The IV set
delivers 60 gtts per cc. How many units of Heparin is the patient receiving each hour?

13. The physician orders 1.5 liters of Lactated Ringers solution to be administered intravenously to your
patient over the next 12 hours. Calculate the rate of flow if the IV tubing delivers 20gtt/ml.

14. The physician orders 1.5 liters of Lactated Ringers solution to be administered intravenously to your
patient over the next 12 hours. Calcuate the rate of flow if the IV tubing delivers 15 gtts per cubic
centimeter.

15. The physician orders 1.5 liters of Lactated Ringers solution to be administered intravenously to your
patient over the next 12 hours. Calculate the rate of flow if the IV tubing delivers 60 gtts/ml.

16. The order reads: "Over the next 4 hours, infuse 500 ml of 5% Dextrose in Normal Saline. Add 20
MEq of KCl to solution." You know that the IV tubing set is calibrated to deliver 10gtt/ml. In drops per
minute, what is the rate of flow?

17. On Wednesday afternoon, your patient returns from surgery with an IV fluid order for 1000cc every
8 hours. On Thursday morning at 8am, you assess that 600 ml of a 1L bag has been absorbed. The
physician orders the remainder of that bag to infuse over the next 6 hours. You know that the IV tubing
used by your unit delivers 10 gtt/ml. What will the correct rate of flow be?

18. The physician reduces an IV to 30ml/hour. The IVAC indicates that 270 ml are remaining in the
present IV bag. You notice that it is exactly 10:30 am. At what time will the infusion be completed?

19. The medications scheduled for your patient include Keflex 1.5 grams in 50 ml of a 5% Dextrose
solution. According to the pharmacy, this preparation should be administered in 30 minutes. The IV
tubing on your unit delivers 15 gtts per milliliter. What is the correct rate of flow in drops per minute?

20. In checking your patient's 10 am medications, you notice that you have orders to infuse 50mg. of
Chloramphenicol in 100 ml of 5% Dextrose in Water over 30 minutes. The IV tubing delivers 15 gtt/ml.
What is the correct rate of flow?


CALCULATING HOURLY IV HEPARIN DOSAGES
Practice Problems
Determine the flow rate (ml/hr) for the following:

1. Order: Heparin 1500 units per hr via IV infusion .
Medication comes mixed from pharmacy:
Heparin 25,000 units in 250 cc NS.

2. Order: Heparin 1800 units per hr via IV infusion.
Medication comes mixed from pharmacy:
Heparin 20,000 units in 250 cc NS.

3. Order: Heparin 1200 units per hr via IV infusion.
Medication comes mixed from pharmacy:
Heparin 25,000 units in 200 cc NS.

4. Order: Heparin 800 units per hr via IV infusion.
Medication comes mixed from pharmacy:
Heparin 20,000 units in 100 cc NS.

5. Order: Heparin 1000 units per hr via IV infusion.
Medication comes mixed from pharmacy:
Heparin 20,000 units in 150 cc NS.

6. Order: Heparin 1100 units per hr via IV infusion.
Medication comes mixed from pharmacy:
Heparin 10,000 units in 100 cc NS.

Answers:
1. 15 cc/hr
2. 22.5 or 23 cc/hr
3. 9.6 or 10 cc/hr
4. 4 cc/hr
5. 7.5 or 8 cc/hr
6. 11 cc/hr