Question

A provider order states, “meperidine (demerol®) 45 mg, atropine sulfate (atropine®) 0.3 mg im now.” the meperidine (demerol®) comes in a pre-filled syringe containing 50 mg/ml, and the atropine sulfate (atropine®) comes in a vial containing 400 mcg/ml. what is the total volume that the nurse will be injecting?

Answer 1

To find the volume, just divide the mass by the dosage in mass per volume. Then, add both volumes to find the total volume. The solution is as follows:

45 mg ÷ 50 mg/mL = 0.9 mL

For the second unit, mcg is micrograms. For every 1 mcg, there is 0.001 mg. Thus,

400 mcg/ml * 0.001 mg/1 mcg = 0.4 mg/mL
0.3 mg ÷ 0.4 mg/mL = 0.75  mL

Total Volume = 0.9 mL + 0. 75 mL = 1.65 mL