You are ordered to administer a 1000 mL bolus of normal saline over 1 hour. The tubing factor is 10 drops/mL. What is the correct drops per minute?

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Multiple Choice

You are ordered to administer a 1000 mL bolus of normal saline over 1 hour. The tubing factor is 10 drops/mL. What is the correct drops per minute?

To find drops per minute, convert the total volume and tubing factor into a rate per minute. Start by determining how many milliliters flow each minute: 1000 mL divided by 60 minutes equals about 16.67 mL/min. With a tubing factor of 10 drops per milliliter, multiply: 16.67 mL/min × 10 gtt/mL = 166.7 gtt/min. Rounding to the nearest whole drop gives 167 drops per minute. The general formula is gtt/min = (volume in mL × drop factor) / time in minutes. The other options would require different volumes or times to reach 1000 mL in 60 minutes.

To find drops per minute, convert the total volume and tubing factor into a rate per minute. Start by determining how many milliliters flow each minute: 1000 mL divided by 60 minutes equals about 16.67 mL/min. With a tubing factor of 10 drops per milliliter, multiply: 16.67 mL/min × 10 gtt/mL = 166.7 gtt/min. Rounding to the nearest whole drop gives 167 drops per minute. The general formula is gtt/min = (volume in mL × drop factor) / time in minutes. The other options would require different volumes or times to reach 1000 mL in 60 minutes.

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