Suppose a doctor’s order instructs the infusion of 450mL of a certain medicine over 45 minutes with a drip factor of 20gtt/mL. (Note: gtt/mL means drops per milliliter.) Determine how many drops per minute this is equivalent to. Round your answer to the nearest hundredth, if necessary.

To determine the number of drops per minute for the infusion, we need to follow these steps:

1. **Calculate the total number of drops (gtt):**
   \[
   \text{Total drops} = \text{Volume (mL)} \times \text{Drip factor (gtt/mL)}
   \]
   Given:
   \[
   \text{Volume} = 450 \, \text{mL}, \quad \text{Drip factor} = 20 \, \text{gtt/mL}
   \]
   So:
   \[
   \text{Total drops} = 450 \times 20 = 9000 \, \text{gtt}
   \]

2. **Determine the infusion time in minutes:**
   \[
   \text{Time} = 45 \, \text{minutes}
   \]

3. **Calculate the drops per minute:**
   \[
   \text{Drops per minute} = \frac{\text{Total drops}}{\text{Time (minutes)}}
   \]
   Substituting the values:
   \[
   \text{Drops per minute} = \frac{9000 \, \text{gtt}}{45 \, \text{minutes}} = 200 \, \text{gtt/minute}
   \]

So, the infusion should be set to **200 drops per minute**.

Would you like further details or have any questions? Here are some related problems:

1. What if the volume was 500mL with the same drip factor and time?
2. How would the calculation change if the drip factor was 15gtt/mL?
3. What happens if the infusion time is reduced to 30 minutes?
4. Can you calculate the drops per second instead of per minute?
5. What if the doctor orders the infusion over 1 hour instead of 45 minutes?

**Tip:** Always ensure you match units correctly when performing calculations to avoid errors.

Suppose a doctor’s order instructs the infusion of 450mL of a certain medicine over 45 minutes with a drip factor of 20gtt/mL. Determine how many drops per minute this is equivalent to. Round your answer to the nearest hundredth, if necessary.

Determine how many drops per minute are needed for a medical infusion of 450mL over 45 minutes with a drip factor of 20gtt/mL. This step-by-step solution covers key concepts like ratio, unit conversion, and basic arithmetic. Ideal for high school students in Grades 9-12.

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