Cefuroxime and Magnesium Sulfate Dosage Orders
What does the nurse determine about the ordered dose of cefuroxime for a 6-year-old patient?
Group of answer choices:
- It is safe because the recommended dose is less than the ordered dose.
- It is safe because the recommended dose is more than the ordered dose.
- It is not safe because the ordered dose is less than the recommended dose.
- It is not safe because the ordered dose is more than the recommended dose.
How many mL/hr should the nurse set the infusion pump at to infuse the correct maintenance dose of Magnesium Sulfate for the patient?
Answer:
15. The nurse determines that the ordered dose of cefuroxime for the 6-year-old patient is not safe because the ordered dose is more than the recommended dose.
16. The nurse should set the infusion pump to deliver 25 mL/hr to infuse the correct maintenance dose of Magnesium Sulfate for the patient.
15. Based on the drug reference information, the recommended dosage of cefuroxime for children and infants older than 3 months is 12.5-25 mg/kg every 6 hours or 16.7-33.3 mg/kg every 8 hours. The maximum daily dose is 6 grams. In the case of the 6-year-old patient weighing 44 pounds, the nurse needs to convert the weight to kilograms (1 kg = 2.2 lb) and calculate the safe dosage range. If the ordered dose exceeds the recommended dosage range, it is considered unsafe. Therefore, the nurse determines that the ordered dose of cefuroxime is not safe because it exceeds the recommended dose.
16. The premixed bag of Magnesium Sulfate contains 40 grams in 1000 mL of Normal Saline. The order states to administer a maintenance dose of 1 gram per hour. To calculate the infusion rate, the nurse can set up a proportion: 40 grams corresponds to 1000 mL, so 1 gram corresponds to x mL. Solving the proportion, the nurse finds that x = (1 gram * 1000 mL) / 40 grams = 25 mL/hr. Therefore, the nurse should set the infusion pump to deliver 25 mL/hr to infuse the correct maintenance dose of Magnesium Sulfate for the patient.