Nurses play a fundamental role in the care and recovery of admitted patients, being in charge of administering and controlling all those intravenous solutions that are administered during the person’s stay in the health center.
For this task, medical equipment is used that, with the help of mathematical formulas, allow calculating the dose to be administered and the times in which the administration must be carried out. One of the most used systems is the macro dripper, that is why at FastlyHealwe explain the definition of macro dripper and the considerations to take into account during its use.
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Macro dropper concept
The macro dripper is a device used in intravenous fluid therapy , to deliver measured amounts of solutions at specific flow rates, based on the size of the drops in the solution. The size of the drops is controlled by the fixed diameter of the plastic tube of the system, the drops supplied by a macro dripper are larger than those from a micro dripper .
The macro-drip infusion system can supply the patient with volumes of solution greater than 75 milliliters per hour, so it will be used in the case of those conditions in which it is necessary to administer a greater quantity of solution with a high drip factor. As a general rule, when using the macro dripper, 1 cc or ml of solution is equal to 20 drops , although this may vary depending on the manufacturer.
Formula to calculate drip
Each patient requires a different volume of solution or administration time, for this reason various formulas have been established that can be used to make drip calculations. The first thing that is important is to calculate the drip constant of the equipment that we will use, which varies according to the way it is calibrated.
The formula for the constant is:
60 / number of drops per ml depending on the caliber of the equipment.
For example, if a device is calibrated to give 20 drops per 1 ml or cc, then it would be:
60/20 = 3 constant
Taking into account the previous example, and with a constant of 3, the calculation formulas are as follows:
- Volume : drip per minute x 3 (constant) x time in hours
- Drip : volume / 3 (constant) x time in hours
- Time : volume / dropper per minute x 3 (constant)
A practical example would be: if we have to administer 500 ml of solution in 5 hours to a patient, how many drops per minute should be passed when using a macro dropper?
500 ml (volume) / 3 (constant) x 5 (hours) = 33.33 that is 34 drops per minute.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
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I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.