Massachusetts Pharmacy Technician License Practice Test

A patient weighing 220 lbs is prescribed drug W at a dosage of 15 MG/KG BID. How many mL would be needed for each dose if drug W comes in 500 MG/5 ML?

1. 5 ml

2. 10 ml

3. 15 ml

4. 20 ml

The correct answer is: 15 ml

To determine the correct dosage in milliliters for the patient who weighs 220 lbs, we first need to convert the weight from pounds to kilograms, since the drug's dosage is given in milligrams per kilogram. The conversion factor is approximately 2.2 lbs per kg. Therefore, dividing the weight in pounds by this factor gives us: 220 lbs / 2.2 = 100 kg. Next, we calculate the total dosage needed based on the prescribed dosage of 15 mg/kg. By multiplying the patient's weight in kg by the dosage rate, we have: 100 kg × 15 mg/kg = 1500 mg. Since the prescription is for a BID (twice a day) regimen, we can consider the 1500 mg to be the total daily dosage. For each dose, we would divide by the number of doses in a day: 1500 mg / 2 = 750 mg per dose. Next, we need to determine how many mL is required to deliver this dosage when the concentration of drug W is 500 mg per 5 mL. To find out how many mL corresponds to 750 mg, we can set up a proportion based on the concentration: First, figure out the concentration in