Real-Life Math
It's late and you're the staff RN in the hospital emergency room.
You've felt rushed all night because it's been really busy and you're short-staffed.
But even with patients piling up, you know you can't cut corners or rush what
you're doing. It doesn't matter if you're reading someone's blood pressure,
writing down vital signs, following instructions or setting up an intravenous
drip. Accuracy is a must because a mistake can be fatal.
A nine-year-old
girl comes into the emergency ward with a severe migraine. The physician prescribes
Demerol -- a very strong painkiller, which, if not administered carefully,
could harm the patient. He tells you to give her a Demerol injection.
You
know that the dosage for children is 1.3 mg of Demerol per kilogram of body
weight. This medication can be administered up to 4 times per day. The girl
says she weighs 90 pounds (remember that there are 2.2 pounds per kilogram).
Demerol
is only available in portions of 75 mg per 1 cc vial (cc stands for cubic
centimeter, and is a measure of volume).
To get this dosage right,
you need to figure out:
- How many milligrams of Demerol would you give to the patient
(per needle)?
- How many cc's of Demerol would you give her?
While you're figuring this out, your patient is moaning in pain,
so the sooner you can get the shot to her the better.