Free NCLEX RN Practice Test Practice Question
Following surgical repair of a fractured femur, a client's hemoglobin falls to 7.4 and the physician orders one unit of packed red blood cells (250 mL) to be administered over two hours with a drop factor of 10 drops/mL. What flow rate (drops per minute) is needed? Record by rounding to the nearest whole number.
Correct Answer: 21
Rationale: To determine the flow rate in drops per minute, first calculate the total drops in the packed red blood cells. With a volume of 250 mL and a drop factor of 10 drops/mL, the total number of drops is 250 mL × 10 drops/mL = 2500 drops.
Next, since the blood is to be infused over two hours (120 minutes), divide the total drops by the infusion time: 2500 drops ÷ 120 minutes = approximately 20.83 drops/minute. Rounding to the nearest whole number gives 21 drops/minute.
Other options may result from incorrect calculations, such as not converting hours to minutes or miscalculating the total drops based on the volume and drop factor.
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