What flow rate in mL/h is required to infuse 1 liter of normal saline over 24 hours?

What flow rate in mL/h is required to infuse 1 liter of normal saline over 24 hours?

• A. 42 mL/h
• B. 41 mL/h
• C. 39 mL/h
• D. 40 mL/h

Answer: (A)

Flow rate = total volume divided by time. For 1 liter (1000 mL) over 24 hours, 1000 ÷ 24 ≈ 41.7 mL per hour. In practice, IV pumps often use whole mL per hour, so you round to the nearest whole number. That gives 42 mL/h as the closest setting. If you used 41 mL/h, you'd deliver about 984 mL in 24 hours (under-infusion by ~16 mL). At 42 mL/h, you'd deliver about 1008 mL (over-infusion by ~8 mL). Since the goal is to infuse a liter in 24 hours, 42 mL/h best matches the target.

Flow rate = total volume divided by time. For 1 liter (1000 mL) over 24 hours, 1000 ÷ 24 ≈ 41.7 mL per hour. In practice, IV pumps often use whole mL per hour, so you round to the nearest whole number. That gives 42 mL/h as the closest setting.

If you used 41 mL/h, you'd deliver about 984 mL in 24 hours (under-infusion by ~16 mL). At 42 mL/h, you'd deliver about 1008 mL (over-infusion by ~8 mL). Since the goal is to infuse a liter in 24 hours, 42 mL/h best matches the target.