The nurse practitioner orders 40mg/kg/day amoxicillin divided BID, oral, for an ear infection. Your client weighs 56 pounds. In the medication room you find amoxicillin 400mg/5ml.

Calculate the number of mg to be administered per dose. Round to the nearest whole number; enter a number only

Calculate the number of ml(s) to be administered per dose. Round to the nearest tenths decimal place; enter a number only

ANSWER

To calculate the number of milligrams (mg) to be administered per dose of amoxicillin for your client’s ear infection, you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Convert the weight of the client from pounds to kilograms.
56 pounds  0.453592 kg/pound ≈ 25.40129 kg

Step 2: Calculate the total daily dose in milligrams.
Total daily dose = 40 mg/kg/day  25.40129 kg ≈ 1016.0516 mg/day

Step 3: Divide the total daily dose by the number of doses per day (BID, which means twice a day).
Dose per administration = 1016.0516 mg/day / 2 ≈ 508.0258 mg

Rounded to the nearest whole number, the number of mg to be administered per dose is 508 mg.

Now, to calculate the number of milliliters (ml) to be administered per dose, you can use the concentration of the available amoxicillin solution:

Amoxicillin concentration = 400 mg/5 ml

Step 4: Divide the dose in milligrams by the concentration to get the required volume in milliliters.
Volume per dose = 508 mg / 400 mg/5 ml ≈ 6.35 ml

Rounded to the nearest tenths decimal place, the number of ml to be administered per dose is 6.4 ml.

In summary, the nurse practitioner should administer approximately 508 mg of amoxicillin and 6.4 ml of the amoxicillin solution per dose for the ear infection, based on the client’s weight of 56 pounds and the available concentration of amoxicillin. Always follow the prescribing healthcare professional’s instructions and consult with them if you have any doubts or concerns.