Real-Life Math
Intravenous (IV) therapy is one of many options for naturopaths in
providing care to patients. The point of IV therapy is to give the body therapeutic
and nutritional agents.
Swallowing nutritious pills, tinctures or
capsules is another option. However, much of the nutritional value is lost
during digestion. By specially preparing nutrients and injecting them through
an IV tube, they skip the liver and other digestive organs. They are delivered
directly through the circulatory system to the body's tissues and cells.
Dr.
Melissa Bradwell is a naturopath who uses IV therapy in her practice. "Certain
IVs have to be dripped over a certain time to be more effective," she says.
You are a naturopath and must prepare an IV bag for your patient.
For IV drips, drops are usually released per minute. The flow rate is the
speed at which the IV goes in to the body. The size of the tubing is called
the drop factor. It measures the number of drops in each milliliter of fluid
(gtt/mL). The abbreviation gtt(s) is for drop(s).
Calculate the IV
flow rate for 200 mL of IV solution over 120 minutes. The tubing has a drop
factor of 20 gtts/mL.
Use the formula:
Volume (mL)/Time
(min) x Drops (gtts)/Volume (mL) = Y or Flow Rate in Drops (gtts)/Time
(min)
Remember to round the solution to the nearest whole number,
since you can't give a patient a portion of a drop.