When calculating the flow rate of I.V. solutions, remember that the number of drops required to deliver 1 ml varies with the type of administration set you're using. To calculate the drip rate, you must know the calibration of the drip rate for each specific manufacturer's product. As a quick guide, refer to the chart below. Use this formula to calculate specific drip rates:
| Ordered volume | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| ml/ | ml/ | ml/ | ml/ | ml/ | ml/ |
| 24 hr | 24 hr | 20 hr | 10 hr | 8 hr | 6 hr |
| or | or | or | or | or | or |
| 21 ml/ | 42 ml/ | 50 ml/ | 100 ml/ | 125 ml/ | 167 ml/ |
| hr | hr | hr | hr | hr | hr |
| Drops/ml | Drops/minute to infuse | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macrodrip | ||||||
| 10 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 21 | 28 |
| 15 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 25 | 31 | 42 |
| 20 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 33 | 42 | 56 |
| Microdrip | ||||||
| 60 | 21 | 42 | 50 | 100 | 125 | 167 |