What is the flow rate in gtt/min for an IV infusion set at 83 mL/hr with a drop factor of 15 gtt/mL?

To determine the flow rate in drops per minute (gtt/min) for an IV infusion, you first need to convert the infusion rate from milliliters per hour (mL/hr) to milliliters per minute (mL/min). Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, you can divide the infusion rate by 60.

In this scenario, the infusion rate is 83 mL/hr. Converting this to mL/min gives:

[

83 , \text{mL/hr} \div 60 , \text{min/hr} = 1.3833 , \text{mL/min}

]

Next, to find the flow rate in gtt/min, you multiply the rate in mL/min by the drop factor given, which in this case is 15 gtt/mL:

[

1.3833 , \text{mL/min} \times 15 , \text{gtt/mL} = 20.75 , \text{gtt/min}

]

Rounding to a whole number, the flow rate is approximately 21 gtt/min, which aligns closely with the choice of 20 gtt/min, making it the