University:
Loyola University Chicago
Course:
Gnur 383 | Nursing Leadership
Academic year:

2019
Views:

40

Pages:

3
Author:

unidosenluz0y

DROPS PER MIN (GTT/MIN) MANUAL IV FLOW REGULATORS (drops per min) Nurses are using fewer and fewer manual IV flow regulators to administer IV fluids/medications in the health care setting. Another term used to describe these regulators is gravity drip IV infusions. This describes how manual flow regulators work. The rate of infusion is dependent upon the gravity of the bag of IV fluid/medication. The rate of these infusions will always be calculated in drops(gtts) per minute. (There will not be a pump to use) In order to calculate the accurate rate of infusion, the nurse must know the type of tubing or administration set to be used. Each type of administration set has a drop chamber with either a macro drop set that delivers 10, 15 or 20 drops per milliliter while the micro drop set always delivers 60 drops per milliliter. This is referred to as the drip factor. To prevent errors in calculating the infusion rate, always check the manufacturer’s label to verify the drip factor of the administration set. The nurse manually regulates the flow of IV fluid/medication when using the above administration sets. There are two steps to this process. The first step is that the nurse must calculate the drop rate, which will always be gtts/min. The second step is that the nurse will adjust the roller clamp on the IV tubing and count the drops to insure accurate infusion. This type of infusion will have to be monitored frequently because kinked tubing or a change in arm position can slow or increase the rate of flow. The following formula needs to be memorized: Amount of fluid X Drip Factor Time (always in minutes) Practice Problems Determine the infusion rate for the following: 1. Order: 1000 ml NS to infuse in 8 hours. Drip factor of administration set: 15 gtts/ml. 2. Order: 1000 ml NS to infuse in 6 hours. Drip factor of administration set: 20 gtts/ml. DROPS PER MIN (GTT/MIN) 3. Order: 1000 ml NS to infuse in 10 hours. Drip factor of administration set: 15 gtts/ml. 4. Order: 500 ml NS to infuse in 4 hours. Drip factor of administration set: 15 gtts/ml. 5. Order: 85 ml NS to infuse in 1 hour. Administration set is a micro set. 6. Order: 1500 ml D5W to infuse in 10 hours. Drip factor of administration set: 15 gtts/ml. 7. Order: 1000 ml NS to infuse in 8 hours. Drip factor of administration set: 20 gtts/ml. 8. Order: Pepcid 40 mg IVPB mixed in 100 ml NS to infuse over 30 minutes. Drip factor: 20 gtts/ml. 9. Order: Vibramycin 200 mg IVPB mixed in 100 ml NS to infuse over 30 minutes. Drip factor: 10 gtts/ml. 10. Order: Dextran 40 mg IVPB in 250 ml to infuse over 45 minutes. Drip factor: 15 gtts/ml. DROPS PER MIN (GTT/MIN) Answers: 1. 31 gtts/min 2. 56 gtts/min 3. 25 gtts/min 4. 31 gtts/min 5. 85 gtts/min 6. 38 gtts/min 7. 42 gtts/min 8. 67 gtts/min 9. 33 gtts/min 10. 83 gtts/min

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