High School

Scenario
Nurse Morgan calculates the dosage of hydralazine (Apresoline). Question
Nurse Morgan is preparing to administer hydralazine (Apresoline) 5 mg IV bolus. Available is hydralazine 20 mg/mL. How many mL should Morgan administer (Round the answer to the nearest hundredth.)

Answer :

Final answer:

Nurse Morgan should administer 0.25 mL of hydralazine (Apresoline) to deliver the ordered 5 mg dose.

Explanation:

To calculate the dosage Nurse Morgan should administer, we use the doctor's order and the concentration of the medication on hand. The doctor's order is for 5 mg of hydralazine and the concentration available is 20 mg/mL. To find the number of milliliters to administer, we divide the ordered dose by the concentration:

Amount to administer (mL) = Ordered dose (mg) ÷ Concentration (mg/mL)

Amount to administer (mL) = 5 mg ÷ 20 mg/mL = 0.25 mL

Therefore, Nurse Morgan should administer 0.25 mL of hydralazine (Apresoline) to deliver a 5 mg dose.

Note: It is critical to be precise when calculating medication dosages to avoid medical errors, as shown by the real-life examples provided in the reference material.