Question

You are treating a patient with a gunshot wound to the chest. According to your protocols you should maintain his mean arterial pressure (MAP) at ~65. You determine that it is necessary to administer fluids. Using a 10 gtt set, how many gtt/min will it take to run 250 mL of Ringers Lactate in 5 minutes? In practical terms, how will you run your solution? You are doing a long distance transport. Your orders are to run 1 liter of D5W/0.45% NS over the projected 6 hours of the trip. How many gtt/min will you run using a 60 gtt set? How many gtt/min will you run using a 15 gtt set? How many gtt/min will you run using a 10 gtt set?

Answer 1

Volume of solution= 250 ml

Time = 5 min

drop factor=10gtt/ml

Drip rate(gtt/min)=( total volume×drop factor)/Time

=( 250ml×10gtt/ml)/5min

= 500gtt/min

Second question to transfuse one litre of solution over six hours with 60gtt set:

Total volume= 1 liter= 1000 ml

Time = 6hours= 6×60= 360minutes

Drop factor= 60gtt/ml

So gtt/min=( total volume× drop factor)/Time in minutes

= (1000ml×60gtt/ml)/360min

=166.66gtt/min

With 15gtt set, drop factor 15gtt/ml

Volume=1000ml

Time = 360 minutes

gtt/min= (1000ml×15gtt/ml)/360

= 41.66 gtt/min

With 10gtt set,drop factor 10gtt/ml

Volume= 1000ml

Time= 360min

So gtt/min= (1000ml×10gtt/ml)/360

= 27.77gtt/min