Answer:
115mg per dose PO of Tylenol is a safe dose for a 25lb child. I would administer 3.6ml of Tylenol per dose.
Explanation:
To answer this question, it is important to first consider the units of measurement, so the first step is to convert the child's weight in pounds into kilograms.
- The child's weight is 25lb, which equals 11.3kg.
Then, knowing the child's weight in kilograms, we need to calculate how many milligrams of Tylenol should be administered for his weight using the standard dose.
- Tylenol is a commercial name for acetaminophen; its standard pediatric dosage is 10-15mg/kg/dose every 4 to 6 hrs.
We do this by multiplying the standard milligrams per kilogram of weight to the child's weight. Since the standard dosage is a range, we calculate both limits of this range. By doing this, we can answer if the prescribed dose (115mg) is safe (it is safe if it falls within the calculated range).
- For this child (based on his weight), the recommended dosage is 113-169mg/dose (from [10mg/kg * 11.3kg = 113mg] to [15mg/kg * 11.3kg = 169mg]), so we conclude that 115mg is a safe dose.
Finally, to answer the second question, we do a "rule of three". We ask ourselves the question: If 5ml contain 160mg of Tylenol, how many milliliters contain 115mg? So we find x:
<u> 5ml </u> = <u> x </u> ; x = (115mg*5ml)/(160mg)
160mg 115mg
- (115mg * 5ml)/(160mg) = 3.6ml
