A heparin bag contains 25,000 units in 250 mL. The order is 1,200 units/hour. What pump rate delivers it?
- A25 mL/hour
- B120 mL/hour
- C12 mL/hour
- D1.2 mL/hour
Show answer and explanations
Answer
C
A
25 mL/hour delivers 2,500 units/hour (about double the order); it comes from dividing the bag volume by 10 rather than using the concentration.
B
120 mL/hour comes from dividing 1,200 by 10 units/mL (a decimal slip in the concentration) and delivers 12,000 units/hour.
C
Concentration is 25,000 units / 250 mL = 100 units/mL; 1,200 units/hour / 100 units/mL = 12 mL/hour.
D
1.2 mL/hour results from treating the concentration as 1,000 units/mL and delivers only 120 units/hour.