For a dopamine infusion ordered at 8 mcg/kg/min for an 86 kg patient with a concentration of 1600 mcg/mL, what is the dose in mcg/min?

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Multiple Choice

For a dopamine infusion ordered at 8 mcg/kg/min for an 86 kg patient with a concentration of 1600 mcg/mL, what is the dose in mcg/min?

Explanation:
Dosing a drug by weight per time means you multiply the prescribed rate by the patient’s weight to get the total amount given each minute. Here, 8 mcg/kg/min times 86 kg equals 688 mcg per minute. The concentration (1600 mcg/mL) isn’t needed to find the mcg/min dose; it would be used if you had to convert the infusion to mL per minute (0.43 mL/min, roughly 25.8 mL/hour). So the correct dose is 688 mcg/min.

Dosing a drug by weight per time means you multiply the prescribed rate by the patient’s weight to get the total amount given each minute. Here, 8 mcg/kg/min times 86 kg equals 688 mcg per minute. The concentration (1600 mcg/mL) isn’t needed to find the mcg/min dose; it would be used if you had to convert the infusion to mL per minute (0.43 mL/min, roughly 25.8 mL/hour). So the correct dose is 688 mcg/min.

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