A child weighing 52.5 pounds receives a prescription for asparaginase 4,780 IU IV

A child weighing 52.5 pounds receives a prescription for asparaginase 4,780 IU IV. The vial is labeled, “Asparaginase 10,000 IU single-use vial. For IM use, reconstitute in 2 mL sterile sodium chloride, and for IV use, reconstitute in 5 mL”. How many mL should the nurse administer? (Enter the numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest tenth.)

The correct answer and Explanation is :

To determine how many mL of asparaginase solution the nurse should administer, follow these steps:

  1. Identify the concentration of the reconstituted solution: The vial is labeled “Asparaginase 10,000 IU single-use vial. For IV use, reconstitute in 5 mL.” This means when you reconstitute the vial with 5 mL of sterile sodium chloride, the resulting concentration will be 10,000 IU in 5 mL.
  2. Calculate the concentration per mL:
    [
    \text{Concentration (IU/mL)} = \frac{\text{Total IU}}{\text{Total Volume (mL)}} = \frac{10,000 \text{ IU}}{5 \text{ mL}} = 2,000 \text{ IU/mL}
    ]
  3. Determine the volume needed to administer the prescribed dose: The child needs 4,780 IU. Use the concentration to find out how many mL are required.
    [
    \text{Volume (mL)} = \frac{\text{Prescribed Dose (IU)}}{\text{Concentration (IU/mL)}} = \frac{4,780 \text{ IU}}{2,000 \text{ IU/mL}}
    ]
    [
    \text{Volume (mL)} = 2.39 \text{ mL}
    ]
  4. Round to the nearest tenth:
    [
    2.39 \text{ mL rounded to the nearest tenth is } 2.4 \text{ mL}
    ]

Explanation:

To administer the correct dose of asparaginase, you need to first know the concentration of the reconstituted solution. Since the vial is reconstituted in 5 mL of sterile sodium chloride, the concentration of asparaginase is 2,000 IU/mL. With this concentration, you can calculate the volume required to deliver the prescribed dose of 4,780 IU. By dividing the prescribed dose by the concentration, you find that 2.39 mL is needed. Rounding this to the nearest tenth gives you 2.4 mL.

Answer: 2.4

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