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NursingDosage Calculations

Dosage Calculations: Dopamine Infusion for a 176 lb Client

Calculate dopamine mL/hour from a 5 mcg/kg/min order, 800 mg in 500 mL, and a 176 lb client; verify 15 mL/hour by reversing the calculation.

Question

Ordered: Initiate dopamine IV infusion at 5 mcg/kg/minute.

Available: Dopamine hydrochloride 800 mg in 500 mL normal saline.

Client’s weight: 176 lb.

How many mL/hour should the medication infuse?

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Evidence boundary

This answer uses OpenStax Pharmacology for Nurses, Section 2.4, Dimensional Analysis Example 3: 5 mcg/kg/min, 800 mg in 500 mL, and 176 lb. It uses the exercise’s 2.2 lb/kg teaching conversion and treats 500 mL as the stated solution volume. It is an educational calculation, not a patient-specific authorization to administer dopamine. The separate practice problem on the same source page uses different numbers and is not this question.