Massachusetts Pharmacy Technician License Practice Test

How many 1L bags of D5W are needed for an IV infusion running at 60 mL/hour for 24 hours?

1. One bag

2. Two bags

3. Three bags

4. Four bags

The correct answer is: Two bags

To determine how many 1L bags of D5W (5% dextrose in water) are needed for an IV infusion running at a rate of 60 mL/hour for 24 hours, you start by calculating the total volume required for the entire infusion period. First, calculate the total volume of fluid needed over the 24 hours: Total volume = infusion rate × time Total volume = 60 mL/hour × 24 hours = 1440 mL Since each bag contains 1 liter, which is equivalent to 1000 mL, you need to convert the total volume into liters: 1440 mL = 1.44 liters Now, to find out how many bags are needed, divide the total volume by the volume of each bag: 1.44 liters ÷ 1 liter/bag = 1.44 bags Because you cannot have a fraction of a bag, you'll need to round up to the next whole number, which is 2 bags. Therefore, the correct answer is that two 1L bags of D5W are necessary to meet the needs of the infusion over the specified time period.