The patient is to get 0.9% sodium chloride IV infusing at 65 mL/h for 4 hrs. The drop factor is 25 gtt/mL. What is the total volume that will be infused?

The patient is to get 0.9% sodium chloride IV infusing at 65 mL/h for 4 hrs. The drop factor is 25 gtt/mL. What is the total volume that will be infused?

• A. 240 mL
• B. 250 mL
• C. 270 mL
• D. 260 mL

Answer: (D)

The amount infused depends on multiplying the flow rate by the duration. 65 mL per hour for 4 hours gives 65 × 4 = 260 mL total. The 0.9% NaCl concentration doesn’t change the volume here; it’s just the solution type. The drop factor (25 gtt/mL) would be used only if you needed the infusion rate in drops per minute, not for the total volume. For example, if you did need the drip rate: 260 mL over 240 minutes equals about 1.08 mL/min, which is 1.08 × 25 ≈ 27 gtt/min. So the total volume infused is 260 mL.

The amount infused depends on multiplying the flow rate by the duration. 65 mL per hour for 4 hours gives 65 × 4 = 260 mL total.

The 0.9% NaCl concentration doesn’t change the volume here; it’s just the solution type. The drop factor (25 gtt/mL) would be used only if you needed the infusion rate in drops per minute, not for the total volume. For example, if you did need the drip rate: 260 mL over 240 minutes equals about 1.08 mL/min, which is 1.08 × 25 ≈ 27 gtt/min.

So the total volume infused is 260 mL.