Question

Order: Epogen (epoetin alfa) 100 units/kg subcut three times a week. The label reads 10,000 units per mL, and the patient weighs 200 pounds.

(a) How many milliliters will you administer? Round your answer to two decimal places.

(b) What size syringe will you use?

Answer 1

a) Drug ordered =100 units/kg

One pound. = 0.454kg

Patient weight =200 pounds

= 200 * 0.454 =90.718kg ~90.8 kg

Drug needed to be administered= 100*90.8

=9080 units

Drug in hand =10,000 units /mL

That is, 10,000 units = 1mL

So, 1 unit = 1/10,000 =0.0001 mL

That means for 9080 units = 0.001*9080 mL

i.e,. = 0.908 mL

is needed

So the amount bof drug need to be administered = 0.908 mL~0.90mL

b) The route of administration ordered is through subcutaneous

So the size of the should be in a gauge size of 25-30

Most commonly used size is 25 gauge

And with a length of one-half or five- eighth of an inch