Dopamine 5 mcg/kg/min is ordered for a 3.4 kg infant with hypotension. How many micrograms will the infant receive per hour?

Dopamine 5 mcg/kg/min is ordered for a 3.4 kg infant with hypotension. How many micrograms will the infant receive per hour?

• A. 680 mcg
• B. 1020 mcg
• C. 2040 mcg
• D. 510 mcg

Answer: (B)

To convert a weight-based, per-minute infusion to an hourly amount, multiply the per-minute dose by the infant’s weight to get micrograms per minute, then multiply by 60 to get micrograms per hour. Calculation: 5 mcg/kg/min × 3.4 kg = 17 mcg/min. Then 17 mcg/min × 60 min = 1020 mcg/hour. So the infant would receive 1020 micrograms per hour. The other options come from not applying the 60-minute conversion or misplacing the dose calculation.

To convert a weight-based, per-minute infusion to an hourly amount, multiply the per-minute dose by the infant’s weight to get micrograms per minute, then multiply by 60 to get micrograms per hour.

Calculation: 5 mcg/kg/min × 3.4 kg = 17 mcg/min. Then 17 mcg/min × 60 min = 1020 mcg/hour.

So the infant would receive 1020 micrograms per hour. The other options come from not applying the 60-minute conversion or misplacing the dose calculation.