Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify types of pharmaceutical problems required for pharmacy operations.
2. Convert between the various denominations of each of the basic units of the metric
system.
3. Perform pharmaceutical conversions between the apothecary and the Avoirdupois
measurement systems.
4. Solve pharmaceutical problems involving reducing or enlarging pharmaceutical
formulas.
5. Solve pharmaceutical problems involving ratio and proportion pharmaceutical
formulas.
6. Solve pharmaceutical calculation problems involving percentage and ratio strengths.
7. Calculate the amount of diluent to be combined with a given amount of stock
preparation to make a product of a lesser strength.
8. Calculate the amounts of two stock preparations required to prepare a specified volume
of a stated intermediate strength preparation when given the strengths of the two stock
preparations.
9. Calculate the appropriate dose for a patient when given the recommended dosage of
that drug and the patient's weight in either pounds or kilograms.
10. Calculate the appropriate drop factors for patients receiving IV therapy.
11. Describe methods for double-checking calculations.
Types: conversion between units of measure; reducing and enlarging; ratio and
proportion; percentage and ratio strengths; concentration dilution; allegations; drug
dosages; flow rates and double check methods.
To prepare medications quickly and accurately you must be able to calculate dosages and
make conversions. This requires you to be familiar with systems of weights and
measures and their equivalents. This section will give you a starting point in refreshing
you with some common conversions used within the pharmacy.
1kg = 2.2lb
1gr = 64.8mg
VOLUME
WEIGHT
1gr = 64.8mg
METRIC TABLE
Gram
K H D Liter d c m X X mc
Meter
Kilo Hecto Deca deci centi milli micro
x 1000 x 100 x 10 1 1/10 1/100 1/1000 1/1,000,000
0.1 0.01 0.001 0.000001
2. Convert between the various denominations of each of the basic units of the
metric system.
Answers:
(1) 0.25 L (2) 15,000 m (3) 1 gm (4) 5 Dal (5) 1 cm (6) 75,000 mcg (7) 25,000 cm (8) 85
mcg (9) 0.45 L (10) 2.5 gm (11) 50,000 dl (12) 8.5 mg (13) 7.5 Hm (14) 4,500 dl (15)
25,000 mcg (16) 375 mcg (17) 3,000 mg (18) 0.012 Kg (19) 0.25 Dag (20) 25 dl (21)
2,000,000 cc (cc = ml) (22) 0.7 Hm (23) 5.40025 L (24) 8.5 gm (25) 0.375 Dam
When converting measures outside of the metric system, the ratio and proportion method
works well. A ratio is a given comparison between two numbers -
When converting measures using a ratio and proportion, you must always have a
known ratio.
1 oz 437.5 gr
3 oz X gr
e. Cross multiply the known values -
Perform the following conversions using the ratio and proportion method.
Within the AV system. (Round all decimals to 3 places to the right of the
decimal point.)
1. 1.25 lb = _____________ oz
2. 15,000 gr = ____________ lb
3. 2,188 gr = ___________ oz
4. 116 oz = ___________ lb
5. 5.6 lb = ____________ oz
6. 3.25 lb = ___________ gr
7. 3,500 gr = ___________ oz
8. 4.5 oz = _____________ gr
9. 1.65 lb = ____________ gr
Answers: (1) 20 (2) 2.143 (3) 5.001 (4) 7.25 (5) 89.6 (6) 22,750 (7) 8 (8)
1,968.75 (9) 11,550 (10) 1,225
(11) 50 (12) 0.5 (13) 15
Convert between the AV and metric systems using the ratio and proportion
method.
1. 165 lb = __________ kg
2. 5,000 gm = ___________ lb
3. 210 lb = ___________ kg
4. 45 kg = ____________ lb
5. 2.25 lb = ___________ gm
6. 3.5 oz = _____________ gm
7. 2,500 mg = ____________ gr
8. 3.25 kg = _____________ lb
9. 8 oz = _______________ gm
Answers: (1) 75 (2) 11.013 (3) 95.455 (4) 99 (5) 1,021.5 (6) 99.225 (7) 38.58 (8)
7.15 (9) 226.8
(10) 88.636 (11) 5 (12) 15.432 (13) 14.109 (14) 35.273
Convert the following apothecary problems using the ratio and proportion
method.
3. 500 mg = _______________ gr
4. 100 fl oz = _____________ pt
7. 3 gr = __________________ mg
9. 3 pt = _______________ ml
Answers: (1) 4.167 (2) 16.077 (3) 7.716 (4) 6.25 (5) 3.906 (6) 139.95 (7) 194.4
(8) 5.284 (9) 1,419 (10) 4.024 (11) 320 (12) 10.417 (13) 3.125 (14) 3.171
15. 6 fl oz = _________________ ml
27. 24 fl oz = ________________ pt
Answers: (15) 177.42 (16) 2,838.75 (17) 2.083 (18) 26 (19) 22,680 (20) 1,200
(21) 7.5 (22) 2.5 (23) 44.355 (24) 7.716 (25) 3.906 (26) 12.682 (27) 1.5 (28)
8.842 (29) 33.333
Perform the following conversions (you will need to convert many of these twice -
see the example.)
Example:
29.57 ml x 7 fl oz = 206.99ml/fl oz
2. 0.74 gm = ________________ gr
4. 1.25 L = ________________ fl oz
5. 3 fl oz = _______________ tsp
6. 2.5 L = _______________ pt
10. 12 pt = ________________ L
12. 12 L = _________________ pt
14. 8 gr = _________________ gm
18. 1 gm = __________________ gr
Answers: (1) 16.077 (2) 11.42 (3) 4.353 (4) 42.273 (5) 17.742 (6) 5.285 (7) 61.49
(8) 63.083
(9) 100 (10) 5.676 (11) 31.533 (12) 25.37 (13) 11.828 (14) 0.518 (15) 1.183 (16)
33.333
(17) 20.9 (18) 15.432 (19) 1.664 (20) 5 (21) 109.91 (22) 36 (23) 2.604
How much Loresal tablets does the "old" formula call for?
_______ tablet(s)
30 ml x 30 tablets X x 30 ml
=
60 ml 30 ml
Factor Method
(New Total)
General Formula: Total Amt Desired = factor
Total Amt in Original Formula
(Old Total)
Step 4: Divide the bottom into the top which results in your
factor. 30 ml = 0.5
60 ml
NOTE: When reducing formulas the value of your factor will always be less
than one (1), and when enlarging formulas the value of your factor will always
be larger
3. From the following formula, calculate the quantity of each ingredient required to
prepare 1 gallon.
Talc 12 gm ______
Bentonite 3.5 gm______
Zinc Oxide 25 gm ______
Distilled Water (QSAD) 100 ml ______
4. From the following formula, calculate the quantity of each ingredient required to make
1 liter.
Glycerin 15 ml ______
Propylene Glycol 30 ml ______
Syrup 100 ml______
Alcohol (QSAD) 473 ml______
8. How many mg of zinc oxide are needed to make 4 quarts of the following?
Talc 15 gm ______
Zinc Oxide 75 gm ______
Purified Water (QSAD) 800 ml______
ANSWERS: (1) 3.32 ml, 8.3 gm, 41.5 ml, 100 ml (2) 0.9 gm, 0.15 gm, 0.108 gm,
30 ml (3) 454.2 ml, 132.48 gm, 946.25 gm, 3784 ml (4) 200.04 ml, 50.01 ml, 20
ml, 5 ml, 1000 ml (5) 2.27 ml, 0.15 ml, 11.35 gm, 473 ml (6) 480 ml, 960 ml, 3200
ml, 15140 ml (7) 14.19 gm, 30.75 ml, 473 ml (8) 70.95 gm, 354.75 mg, 3784 ml
Sterile Liquid Medications- Read the package insert, product label or other reference
material to find the drug concentration. (Concentration = amount of drug per volume of
solution.)
Read package insert, product label or other reference, to find the amount of diluent
needed and the concentration of the product after reconstitution. (Diluent = liquid, used
to liquefy powder. Reconstitution = adding a suitable diluent.)
When the resulting concentration has been found a ratio and proportion can be used to
find the amount of medication needed for the prescribed dose.
1 ml =
100 mg
1 ml = X ml
100 mg
1 ml = X ml
100mg 650 mg
Then, cross-multiply:
General Formula:
EXAMPLE: How many doses are in 120 ml of Benadryl Elixir, if one dose
contains 1 dram?
X dose = 160 mg
4 doses
1. If you stock Aminophylline for Injection, 250mg/10ml, how many milliliters should
be used to deliver a 200mg dose?
3. If 20 milli-equivalents (mEq) of a drug is ordered daily and the drug on hand contains
40mEq/2ml, how many milliliters should be dispensed for a 30-day supply?
7. How many 5gr tablets should be dispensed to fill the following prescription?
9. How many milliliters of alcohol would be used to make 240ml of preparation if each
teaspoonful contains 2.8ml of alcohol?
10. In supply you find a vial of Kanamycin Injection labeled 1.0g per 3ml. How many
milliliters of this solution must be given to administer a dose of 750mg of drug?
11. You have a vial of Ephedrine Injection labeled 25mg/ml. How many milliliters must
be injected in order to administer a dose of 12.5mg?
12. How many milligrams of drug are contained in a 30ml vial of Naloxone, labeled
0.4mg/ml ?
13. How many tablets you would you dispense for the following prescription?
14. How many milligrams of drug would be in one pint if each dram has 1/8th of a
grain?
15. If 0.3mg is the dose to taken daily for 30 days, how many grams will you dispense?
16. The prescription calls for the patient to take one teaspoonful four times a day for 10
days. How many milliliters will you dispense?
17. The dose is one tablespoonful every 6 hours for 1 week. How many milliliters will
you dispense?
18. How many doses are in 180ml if each dose contains 2 tablespoonfuls?
20. The physician prescribes 8 fluid ounces of penicillin to be taken in 10ml doses. How
many doses will the patient receive?
21. The patient will take 350mg in each dose which is to be taken six times a day for 14
days. How many total grams will this patient need?
22. Twenty doses are to be obtained from 1oz of a chemical. How many milligrams are
in each dose?
23. Forty grams of a medication is to be divided into 500 doses. What is the strength of
each dose in milligrams?
24. One pound of chemical will make 60 doses. How many milligrams will each dose
contain?
25. Six fluid ounces are to be divided into 20 doses. How many milliliters are in each
dose?
27. How many tablets would you dispense if 2 tablets are to be taken every 3 hours for
15 days?
28. If a patient takes 2 and 1/2 teaspoonfuls every 8 hours for 10 days how many
milliliters of medication would you dispense?
29. If 250mg of medication are to be taken daily for 3 weeks how many grams would
you dispense?
30. How many doses can be obtained from 450ml of medication if the size of each dose
is 1.5 teaspoonfuls?
ANSWERS: (1) 8 ml (2) 18 ml (3) 30 ml (4) 6 ml (5) 0.5 ml (6) 0.8 ml (7) 84 tabs
(8) 56 tabs (9) 134.4 ml (10) 2.25 ml (11) 0.5 ml (12) 12 mg (13) 45 tabs (14)
766.26 mg (15) 0.009 gm (16) 200 ml (17) 420 ml (18) 6 doses (19) 12 doses
(20) 23.65 doses (21) 29.4 gms (22) 1,417.5 mg (23) 80 mg (24) 7,566.6 mg (25)
8.87 ml (26) ½ tablespoonsful (27) 240 tabs (28) 375 ml (29) 5.25 gm (30) 60
doses
Percentage Preparations
Ratio strength (1:N) is one part by weight or volume in N parts by weight or volume. A
1:200 ratio strength can be 1 gm solid to 200 ml solid or 1 ml liquid to 200 ml liquid or 1
gm solid to 200 ml liquid.
75 gm (Active ingredient)
2000 / 75 = x
x = 0.0375 *Must change decimal to %
x = 3.75 %
8 ml (Active Ingredient)
8 / 480 = X
1.2 / 480 = x
x = 0.0025 *Must change decimal to %
x = 0.25%
PERCENTAGE PREPARATIONS
3. How many grams of phenol are required to prepare 480ml of a 1/10% solution?
8. How many milliliters of a 0.1% solution can be made from one gram of atropine
sulfate?
9. How many fluid ounces of a 0.55% solution can be prepared from 75 grains of
scopolamine hydrobromide?
10. With 43gm of hydrocortisone powder, how many grams of a 1.5% ointment could
you make?
11. How many liter of a 2% iodine tincture can be made from 123gm of iodine?
12. If 1 gallon of a solution contains 474gm of solute, what is the percentage strength of
the solution?
13. How many grains of gentian violet should be used in preparing 2 fl oz of a 1/2%
solution?
14. How many milliliters of a 6% solution can be prepared from 14gm of neomycin
sulfate?
15. What is the percentage strength of solution if 1/4 pound of chemical is dissolved in
0.25 liters?
16. How many pounds of medication are required to make 3 gallons of 7% solution?
17. How many fl oz of 16% solution can be made from 7000 grains of chemical?
18. How many quarts of 5% solution can be made from 47.3 grams of drug?
19. How many grains are needed to make 4 quarts of a 1/8% solution?
20. How many fl oz. (apothecary) of a 16% solution can be made from 9100 grains of
drug?
21. If 12 grains of powder are dissolved in enough water to make one pint of solution,
what is the percentage strength?
22. How many grains of NaCl are needed to make 8 fl oz of 0.9% solution?
23. How much Thymol would be needed if a prescription was written for 240gm of 4%?
25. If 10 grains are dissolved in 250ml of solution, what is the percentage of this
solution?
ANSWERS: (1) 12.5 gm (2) 0.6 gm (3) 0.48 gm (4) 6.83 gr (5) 85% (6) 0.35% (7)
0.43%, 4.3% (8) 1000 (9) 29.97 fl oz (10) 2866 gm (11) 6.15 L (12) 12.5% (13)
4.55 gr (14) 233.3 ml (15) 45.4% (16) 1.75 lbs (17) 96.15 fl oz (18) 1 quart (19)
72.8 gr (20) 124.65 fl oz (21) 0.164% (22) 32.76 gr (23) 9.6 gm (24) 0.00002%
(25) 0.25%
Stock solutions are bulk solutions of known concentration frequently prepared for
convenience in dispensing. They are frequently concentrated solutions from which more
dilute solutions can be quickly prepared. Although, dilute solutions are also
compounded.
To solve concentration and dilution problems you need to identify the two
preparations in the equation, convert ratio or percentage strengths to decimal
expressions and convert to same systems of measurement.
EXAMPLE: If 500 ml of a 15% solution are diluted to 1500 ml, what will be the
percent strength?
Amt1 x %1 = Amt2 x %2
Step 1: Identify the two preparations in the problem and assign values to
appropriate terms.
7500 = 1500X
7500/1500 = 1500X/1500
X = 5%
Step 3: Don’t forget to check the final answer for the correct units!!!
1. How many milliliters of a 25% solution can be prepared from 750ml of a 65%
solution?
2. If 30gm of a 45% powder was diluted to make a 30% powder, how many grams will
the new preparation weigh?
3. If you dilute 2 pints of a 65% solution to 30%, how many fl oz will the new
preparation measure?
4. How many grams of a 10% phosphoric acid can be made from 1kg of 85% phosphoric
acid?
6. If 55ml of an 18% solution is diluted to 330ml, what will be the percentage strength?
9. If 2 fl oz (apothecary) of a 25% solution is diluted to 5%, how many fluid ounces will
the new solution measure?
10. How many pounds of a 1% cream can be made from 10,000gm of an 8.5% cream?
11. How many milliliters of a 15% solution can be made from a quart of a 60% solution?
12. How many liters of a 1/1,000 solution can be made form 200ml of a 0.1% solution?
13. How many milliliters of a 6% solution can be made from 2L of a 36% solution?
14. How many pints of a 6% solution can be made from 4 fl oz (apothecary) of a 15%
solution?
15. How much of a 25% solution is needed to prepare 473 ml of a 10% solution?
ANSWERS: (1) 1950 ml (2) 45 gm (3) 69.33 fl oz (4) 8500 gm (5) 1:5000 (6) 3%
(7) 400 ml (8) 0.13% (9) 10 fl oz (10) 187.22 lbs (11) 3784 ml (12) 0.2 L (13)
12000 ml (14) 0.625 pts (15) 189.2 ml
Alligations
Alligation is a method used for calculating the average value of a mixture obtained by
combining known quantities of two or more substances, the values of which are known
quantities of two or more substances, the values of which are known.
hand box.
Step 3: Enter the percent strength of the weaker solution to be mixed in
the lower left hand box.
Step 4: Enter the desired percent strength of the solution in the center box.
Step 5: Let x and y equal the unknown volume of the solutions to be
mixed to obtain the desired mixture.
A Blank X R
Blank C Z T
B Blank Y S
Procedure:
1. Subtract C from A to solve for Y.
2. Subtract B from C to solve for X.
3. X/Y = i.e. 20/25 = 4/5, which is interpreted as 4 parts to 5 parts,
or a total of 9 parts. For every 4 parts of 95% alcohol, you must
use 5 parts of 50% alcohol to attain 70% alcohol.
How much 95% alcohol and how much 50% alcohol will be needed to
attain 450 ml of 70% alcohol?
4
95 20
70 9
50 25
5
Step 6. Looking at the right half of this grid, you should recognize two ratio and
proportion problems that are set up. By solving these simple problems
you will find out exactly how much of each ingredient is necessary.
4 X 9 450 ml
9 450 ml 5 X
9 X = 4 x 450 9 X = 5 x 450
9 X = 1800 9 X = 2250
X = 200 ml X = 250 ml
of 95 % alcohol of 50 % alcohol
100% Blank ? gm
Blank 15%
2. In what proportions should be 95% alcohol be mixed with 30% alcohol to make 70%
alcohol?
95 % Blank ?
Blank 70%
30% Blank ?
3. How many grams of 20% precipitated sulfur ointment and 5% precipitated sulfur
ointments should be used to make 908gm of 8% ointment?
20% Blank ? gm
Blank 8% 908gm
5% Blank ? gm
4. How many grams of coal tar solution (LCD) should be added to 2700gm of an
ointment base to prepare a 10% coal tar ointment?
5. How many grams of coal tar should be added to 925gm of zinc oxide paste to prepare
a 6% coal tar ointment?
8. How many milliliters of 95% isopropyl alcohol must be mixed with purified water to
obtain 7568ml of 70% isopropyl alcohol?
9. How many milliliters of water should be added to a quart of 75% solution to make
25% solution?
10. How many grams of sulfur should be mixed with some 1:400 sulfur to make 2
ounces (AV) of 1:25 sulfur ointment?
11. How many grams of coal tar should be added to 908gm of zinc oxide paste to
prepare a 9% coal tar ointment?
12. How many milligrams of petrolatum should be added to 340gm of a 35% sulfur
ointment to make 10% sulfur ointment?
13. How many milliliters of water should be added to some 50% isopropyl alcohol to
make 2 gallons of 40%?
14. How many milliliters of water should be added to a liter of 1:250 solution to make a
1:4000 solution?
15. How many milliliters of 8% solution can be made if 1 liter of 30% solution is mixed
with water?
16. How many liters of water should be added to a gallon of 80% solution to make 50%
solution?
17. How many milliliters of 90% alcohol and 60% alcohol should be added together to
make 4 pints of 75% alcohol?
18. How many milliliters of alcohol should be mixed with 1.5 quarts of 30% alcohol to
make some 70% alcohol?
19. In what proportions should 90% acetone be mixed with 40% acetone to make
65% acetone?
20. How many milliliters of water should be added to a liter of 75% alcohol to make
some 45%
ANSWERS: (1) 200 gm (2) 8, 5 (3) 181.6 gm, 726.4gm (4) 300 gm (5) 59.04 gm
(6) 1 : 7 (7) 750 gm (8) 5,576.42 ml (9) 1,892 ml (10) 2.13 gm (11) 89.8 gm (12)
850,000 mg (13) 1,513.6 ml (14) 15,000 ml (15) 3,750 ml (16) 2.27 ml (17) 946
ml, 946 ml (18) 1,892 ml (19) 1 : 1 (20) 666.6 ml
9. Calculate the appropriate dose for a patient when given the reecommended
dosage of that drug and the patient’s weight in either pounds or kilograms.
Dosage Calculations - medications may be dosed by one of at least three different ways:
body weight, body surface area, and age. Body weight and surface area are the most
accurate. In any case, the appropriate patient information will need to be provided.
When medications are prescribed, there is often an acceptable dosage range the patient
may receive. Pharmacy's duty is to make sure the prescription's dosage falls within the
acceptable range. When checking a dose, first check the reference to see how the
recommended dose is expressed, then you will know how to proceed with checking the
prescription
Example 1: An adult male has a prescription that reads - penicillin 250mg, qid,
dispense 40
2. To compare, determine how much the patient is receiving per day: 150mg
x qid = 600mg/day
3. Next divide the total amount of medication by the body weight: 600mg /
20 kg = 30mg/kg, which is between 25 and 50mg
3. Determine how much the patient is to receive per the prescription: ratio
and proportion is useful here:
500 mg x mg
5 ml 15 ml
Given the following dosage guidelines, determine if the prescriptions below are dosed
appropriately. Answer "OK" for appropriate doses, "over" for doses over the
recommendation, and "under" for doses under the recommendation.
***These guidelines are "For Training Purposes Only" and not to be used on the job.***
Acetaminophen
Adults (> 12 yrs) - 325mg-650mg every 4-6 hours, or 1 gm 3-4 times/day - do not exceed
4 gm/day
Children (< 12 yrs) - 10-15 mg/kg per dose, not to exceed 5 doses in 24 hours
Amikacin
Adults, children and infants - 15mg/kg/day in 2-3 divided doses
Amoxicillin
Adults (> 12 yrs) - 750-1,000mg/day in 2 or 3 divided doses
Children (< 12 yrs) - 20-40mg/kg/day in 3 divided doses
Ampicillin
Children (< 12 yrs) - 50-400mg/kg/day in 4 divided doses
Adults (> 12 yrs) - 1-12 gm in 4 divided doses
Gentamycin
5-7mg/kg/day in 2-3 divided doses
Ibuprofen
Children (6 mos to 12 yrs) - 5-10mg/kg/dose, 3-4 times/day, not to exceed 40mg/kg/day
Adults - do not exceed 3.2 gm/day
Nafcillin
Children (< 12 yrs) - 100-200mg/kg/day in 4 divided doses
Penicillin V (oral)
Children (2-12 yrs) - 30-50mg/kg/day in 4 divided doses
Adults (> 12 yrs) - 250-500mg every 6-8 hours
Theophylline
Maximum daily doses for ages: (1-9 yrs 24mg/kg/day) (9-12 yrs 20mg/kg/day) (12-16 yrs
18mg/kg/day) (> 16 yrs 13mg/kg/day)
Vancomycin
Adults (> 12 yrs) - 500mg-2 gm/day in 3 or 4 divided doses
Children (< 12 yrs) - 40mg/kg/day in 3 or 4 divided doses
Abbreviations: y/o = years old, wt. = weight, < =less than, > = greater than
Answers: (1) OK - 150mg/kg/d (2) Over - 17.5mg/kg/d (3) Over - 20.3mg/kg/d (4) Over -
4.8 gm/d (5) Under - 5.9 mg/kg/dose (6) Over - 2g/d & qid (7) Under - 17.6mg/kg/d (8)
Over - 4 gm/d (9) OK - 6 mg/kg/d (10) OK - 30.5mg/kg/d (11) Over 31.25mg/kg/d (12)
Under 36.8 mg/kg/d (13) OK 15.2 mg/gkg/d (14) OK 1gm/d (15) Over - 6 gm/d (16) OK
- 39.6 mg/kg/d (17) over - 71 mg/kg/d (18) OK - 40 mg/kg/d (19) OK - 1 gm/d (20)
Under - 4.8 mg/kg/d (21) OK - < 4gm/d (22) OK - 750 mg/d (23) Over - 9 mg/kg/d (24)
Under - 56.3 mg/kg/d (25) OK - 11.5 mg/kg/d (26) OK - 15 mg/kg/d (27) OK - 50
mg/kg/d (28) Over - 4.8 g/d
10. Calculate the appropriate drop factors for patients receiving IV therapy.
FLOW RATES
Using flow rates, you can calculate the volume of fluid and amount of drug a
patient will be receiving over a certain time period.
General Formula:
ml to be infused = ml
hours to be infused 1 hour
ml = ml
60 minutes 1 min
1000ml = 166.6ml
6 1 hour
166.6ml/hr = 2.77ml
60 minutes 1 min
EXAMPLE: If 1000ml must be infused over an 8 hour period, what will be the
flow using a 60gtt/ml IV set?
(Can’t have part of a drop so you have to round up or down, in this case round
up.)
125gtt/min
1. What is the flow rate, in ml/hr, if 1 liter of 5% Dextrose in Water with 20mEq of KCl
is given over 12 hours?
4. Using a 10gtt/ml IV set, what will be the flow rate, if 500ml of solution is infused
every 4 hours?
5. The physician order is for 1000ml of D5W to be administered in 5 hours. If a
20gtt/ml set is used, what is the flow rate in ml/hr and gtts/min?
6. If an IV infusion of 100ml must be absorbed in 12 hours, what should be the flow rate
for:
7. If an IV infusion of 500ml must be run over 12 hours, what should be the rate of flow
using the following administration sets?
20 gtts/ml ______
15 gtts/ml ______
10 gtts/ml ______
60 gtts/ml ______
8. Determine the flow rate of an IV infusion for an adult if the physician ordered 1000ml
to be given in 2 hours with a drop factor of 10.
9. What is the flow rate if 500ml of D5W is infused over 4 hours using micro-drip
tubing?
10. What is the flow rate in ml/min if 1 liter of solution is infused over 6 hours using a
15gtt/ml set?
11. Determine the flow rate to be used to infuse 1000ml, of dextrose 5% in water over
12 hours if the set delivers 10 drops per ml.
12. Determine the flow rate to be used to infuse 250ml, of Sodium Chloride 0.9% over 4
hours using a 20gtt/ml set.
ANSWERS: (1) 83.3 ml/hr (2) 55.4 gtt/min (3) 41.55 gtt/min (4) 20.8 gtt/min (5)
66.6 gtt/min (6) a-2.8 gtt/min b.-2.1 gtt/min c-1.4 gtt/min d-8.4 gtt/min (6) 13.8
gtt/min, 10.35 gtt/min, 6.9 gtt/min, 41.4 gtt/min (7) 83 gtt/min (8) 125 gtt/min (9)
2.77 ml/min (10) 13.8 gtt.min (11) 20.8 gtt/min
We have discussed a variety of calculations that you will use to perform your duties as a
pharmacy technician. Before we end this discussion, lets look at a few preventative measures you
can take to prevent an error in calculation, thus preventing a medication error.
• Never leave a decimal point naked. Always place a zero before a decimal expression less
than one. Example: .25mg may be read as 25 mg. The correct way is to write 0.25 mg.
• Never place a decimal point and a zero after a whole number. The decimal may not be
seen and result in a tenfold overdose. Example: 5.0 mg may be read as 50 mg. The
correct way is to write 5 mg.
• Avoid using decimals whenever whole numbers can be used as alternatives. Example: 0.5
g should be expressed as 500 mg.
• Whenever possible, use the metric system rather than grains or drams.
Developing a working knowledge of pharmaceutical calculations is crucial for success in your
career as a pharmacy technician. Your customer's health depends on your accuracy each time you
calculate a dose or make a pharmaceutical preparation. Another important aspect of your job,
especially when making those pharmaceutical preparations, is pharmaceutical chemistry. In the
next unit, we will cover basic concepts of chemistry and properties of pharmaceuticals. But first,
answer the following questions to see if you have developed that working knowledge of
pharmaceutical calculations.