A client is to receive 5 mcg/kg/min of a medication. If the client weighs 66 lb (30 kg), how many mcg should the client receive in 1 hr?

• A. 150
• B. 9000
• C. 360
• D. 3,300

Answer: (B)

Dosing rate is weight-based and time-based. Convert the patient’s weight to kilograms, multiply by the dose per kilogram per minute to get micrograms per minute, then convert to an hourly rate.

The patient weighs 30 kg. At 5 mcg/kg/min, the dose per minute is 5 × 30 = 150 mcg/min. To find the hourly amount, multiply by 60 minutes: 150 × 60 = 9000 mcg/hour. Therefore, the client should receive 9000 micrograms in one hour.