Please help solve: 15 drops per min= 1cc. How many drops per minute is 2cc per hour?

[JaeCris]

15 drops per min= 1cc
How many drops per minute is 2cc per hour?

Please explain.

Thanks!

 

[mmm4444bot]

15 drops per min = 1cc

How many drops per minute is 2cc per hour?

You didn't say anything about your situation, so I will guess. You're taking a math course, as a requirement for Nursing Assistant certification.

That first line ought to be: 15 drops per min = 1cc per min

Or just: 15 drops = 1cc

It means the IV set's proximal tubing and drip-chamber needle produce a drop size such that 15 drops are needed to make 1cc. We call 15 the "Drop Factor", and we use it in the following formula for gtts per minute (gtts is the medical abbreviation for drops). In the formula, units are shown within parentheses, but they simplify to form the final units 'gtts per min'.


\(\displaystyle \dfrac{\text{Volume (cc)} \times \text{Drop Factor (gtts/cc})}{\text{Time (min)}} = \text{Gtts per min}\)


For example: A needle's drop factor is 15 gtts/cc, and we need to infuse 8cc over half an hour.

The volume is 8cc and the time is 30 min.

\(\displaystyle \dfrac{\text{8 (cc)} \times \text{15 (gtts/cc})}{\text{30 (min)}} = \dfrac{8 \times 15}{30} = \text{4 gtts per min}\)

We need 4 gtts/min. (That's one drop every 15 seconds.)


Can you try this formula, to answer your exercise? Let us know, if you have any questions. :cool: