A patient is to receive 1000 mL Lactated Ringers over 28 hours. The IV tubing delivers 20 gtt/mL. What is the rate in gtt/min?

A patient is to receive 1000 mL Lactated Ringers over 28 hours. The IV tubing delivers 20 gtt/mL. What is the rate in gtt/min?

• A. 12 gtt/min
• B. 14 gtt/min
• C. 15 gtt/min
• D. 18 gtt/min

Answer: (A)

Start with the rate calculation. Convert the total infusion time to minutes: 28 hours × 60 = 1680 minutes. The total drops if using a 20 gtt/mL tubing is 1000 mL × 20 gtt/mL = 20,000 drops. Divide drops by minutes to get the rate: 20,000 drops / 1680 minutes ≈ 11.9 drops per minute. Rounding to the nearest whole drop per minute gives about 12 gtt/min. So the infusion rate should be about 12 gtt/min.

Start with the rate calculation. Convert the total infusion time to minutes: 28 hours × 60 = 1680 minutes. The total drops if using a 20 gtt/mL tubing is 1000 mL × 20 gtt/mL = 20,000 drops. Divide drops by minutes to get the rate: 20,000 drops / 1680 minutes ≈ 11.9 drops per minute. Rounding to the nearest whole drop per minute gives about 12 gtt/min. So the infusion rate should be about 12 gtt/min.