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Albuterol was ordered in the pediatric ER. The physician's order is to administer a continuous nebulization for 8 hours at 1.5 mg/kg/hr. The patient weighs 95 lbs.

1. Convert lbs to kg.
2. Calculate mg needed per kg.
3. Calculate the total mg needed for 8 hours.

Answer :

To administer albuterol for eight hours, first convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms, then calculate the dose per hour, and finally multiply by the total hours. The total dose for 8 hours is 517.08 mg.

Calculation of Total Dose of Albuterol

  1. Convert lb to kg: The patient's weight is 95 lbs. To convert this to kilograms, use the conversion factor 1 kg = 2.20462 lbs.
    95 lbs ÷ 2.20462 = 43.09 kg (approximately).
  2. Calculate mg per kg: The order is to administer 1.5 mg per kg per hour. Therefore, for a 43.09 kg patient:
    1.5 mg/kg/hour × 43.09 kg = 64.635 mg/hour.
  3. Calculate total mg needed for 8 hours: Now multiply the hourly dose by the number of hours:
    64.635 mg/hour × 8 hours = 517.08 mg.

Thus, the total dose of albuterol to be administered over 8 hours is 517.08 mg.

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