A 3-week-old baby weighing 2.4 kg requires continuous IV infusion of glyceryl trinitrate at 0.2 microgram/kg/min. What is the hourly infusion rate?

A 3-week-old baby weighing 2.4 kg requires continuous IV infusion of glyceryl trinitrate at 0.2 microgram/kg/min. What is the hourly infusion rate?

• A. 2.88 micrograms/hour
• B. 28.8 micrograms/hour
• C. 4.8 micrograms/hour
• D. 288 micrograms/hour

Answer: (B)

The calculation hinges on converting a weight-based, per-minute dose into an hourly rate. Start with the dose per minute: multiply the dose rate by the baby’s weight. Then convert to per hour by multiplying by 60 (minutes in an hour). 0.2 microgram/kg/min × 2.4 kg = 0.48 microgram per minute. 0.48 microgram/min × 60 min/hour = 28.8 micrograms per hour. So the hourly infusion rate is 28.8 micrograms/hour. If you don’t multiply by 60, you’d stay at a per-minute rate; missing that step yields smaller values like 2.88 or 4.8 micrograms/hour.

The calculation hinges on converting a weight-based, per-minute dose into an hourly rate. Start with the dose per minute: multiply the dose rate by the baby’s weight. Then convert to per hour by multiplying by 60 (minutes in an hour).

0.2 microgram/kg/min × 2.4 kg = 0.48 microgram per minute.

0.48 microgram/min × 60 min/hour = 28.8 micrograms per hour.

So the hourly infusion rate is 28.8 micrograms/hour. If you don’t multiply by 60, you’d stay at a per-minute rate; missing that step yields smaller values like 2.88 or 4.8 micrograms/hour.