Pharmacy PEBC Practice Exam

A patient in an intensive care unit is ordered a dopamine intravenous infusion to start at a rate of 5 mcg/kg/min. If the patient weighs 158 pounds and dopamine is available as a premixed intravenous solution containing 200 mg/250 mL, what is the hourly infusion rate?

1. 3 mL/h

2. 9 mL/h

3. 27 mL/h

4. 39 mL/h

The correct answer is: 27 mL/h

The correct answer is C 27 mL/h. To determine the hourly infusion rate, we first need to convert the patient's weight from pounds to kilograms. We do this by dividing 158 pounds by 2.2, which equals approximately 71.81 kilograms. Next, we need to calculate the total amount of dopamine in the premixed solution. We do this by using the formula: total amount (mg) = concentration (mg/mL) * volume (mL). In this case, the total amount of dopamine is 200 mg/250 mL * 250 mL, which equals 200 mg. To determine the hourly infusion rate, we use the formula: infusion rate (mL/h) = (dose (mcg/kg/min) * weight (kg) * 60 min)/ [total amount (mg) * 1000 (mcg