How to Calculate Dopamine
Dopamine is a drug used to help patients with blood flow problems after trauma, heart attack or other cardiac problems. Dopamine comes packaged in a syringe but requires dilution before the solution is delivered to a patient through an intravenous tube. Calculating dopamine requires knowing a few formulas and being careful with mathematical conversions. Dosage concentrations for dopamine can appear in micrograms per kilograms per minute or in cc (cubic centimeters) per hour.
Instructions
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1
Calculate micrograms per kilograms per minute by multiplying the dose of the drug in micrograms by the IV pump rate in cc per hour. Divide this number by the result of multiplying the solution in cc per hour times 60 minutes times the patient's weight in kilograms.
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2
Calculate cc per hour by multiplying micrograms per kilograms per minute by the patient's weight in kilograms. Multiply this number by 60 minutes and then multiply by the solution in cc. Divide the result by the dose of the drug in micrograms.
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3
Calculate micrograms per kilograms per minute in another way by multiplying the desired dosage expressed in micrograms per cc per minute by the rate on the IV pump. Divide this result by the patient's weight in kilograms. The result is micrograms per kilograms per minute.
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Tips & Warnings
Most dopamine packages express the dosage in milligrams, and the formulas to calculate dopamine drips are in micrograms. Forgetting the conversion is the easiest way to mix up the dose.
