Infusion Pump Rate Calculator
Calculate IV infusion rates (mL/hr) for critical care medications. Features a built-in database of ICU drugs, weight-based dosing, and concentration management.
About
In critical care settings, accurate medication delivery is a matter of life and death. Nurses and pharmacists must frequently convert a prescribed dose (e.g., mcg/kg/min) into the volumetric flow rate (mL/hr) that can be programmed into an electronic infusion pump. Errors in this calculation can lead to dangerous overdoses or ineffective therapy.
This tool streamlines the process by integrating a database of standard concentrations for common vasoactive and sedative drugs. It handles the dimensional analysis automatically, converting between mass units (mcg, mg, g) and time units (min, hr), ensuring that the final pump setting accurately reflects the physician's order.
Formulas
The core formula utilizes dimensional analysis to cancel out mass and time units, leaving volume per time.
Where Concentration is total drug mass divided by total volume, converted to the same mass unit as the dose (e.g., mcg/mL).
Reference Data
| Drug | Standard Conc. | Typical Dose Range | Calculation Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norepinephrine | 4mg / 250mL | 0.01 − 3.0 mcg/kg/min | Weight-based |
| Dopamine | 400mg / 250mL | 2 − 20 mcg/kg/min | Weight-based |
| Propofol | 1000mg / 100mL | 5 − 50 mcg/kg/min | Weight-based |
| Amiodarone | 900mg / 500mL | 1 mg/min | Non-weight-based |
| Insulin (Regular) | 100units / 100mL | 1 − 10 units/hr | Fixed Rate |