IV and Medication Calculation Formulas Cheat Sheet

1️⃣ Volume, Dose, and Tablet Calculations

a) Tablets

Ordered dose (mg)

Tablets =
Strength per tablet (mg)

b) Liquid Medications (mL)

Ordered dose (mg)

Volume (mL) =
Concentration (mg/mL)

c) Divided doses

Total daily dose

Dose per administration =
Number of doses per day

2️⃣ IV Flow Rate Calculations

a) Flow rate in mL/hr

Volume (mL)
Flow rate (mL/hr) =
Time (hr)

b) Flow rate in gtt/min (macro/microdrip)

Volume (mL) × Drop factor (gtt/mL)

Flow rate (gtt/min) =
Time (min)

c) Time to infuse

Volume (mL) × Drop factor (gtt/mL)

Time (min) =
Flow rate (gtt/min)

d) Volume infused

Flow rate (gtt/min) × Time (min)

Volume (mL) =
Drop factor (gtt/mL)

e) Dosage rate (IVPB) in mg/min

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Medical Math Practice Answers – Step by Step

1. IV Flow Rate (mL/hr) – Answers

1. 800 ÷ 8 = 100 mL/hr

2. 1200 ÷ 6 = 200 mL/hr
3. 450 ÷ 3 = 150 mL/hr
4. 1000 ÷ 5 = 200 mL/hr
5. 600 ÷ 4 = 150 mL/hr

2. Time (hr) – Answers

1. 1000 ÷ 250 = 4 hr
2. 500 ÷ 125 = 4 hr
3. 750 ÷ 150 = 5 hr
4. 900 ÷ 300 = 3 hr
5. 600 ÷ 200 = 3 hr

3. Drug Amount (mg) – Answers

1. 2 × 50 = 100 mg
2. 5 × 100 = 500 mg
3. 10 × 25 = 250 mg
4. 1.5 × 200 = 300 mg
5. 4 × 60 = 240 mg

4. Drip Rate (gtt/min) – Answers

1. (500 × 15) ÷ (5×60) = 125 gtt/min

2. (1000 × 20) ÷ (8×60) = 41.67 ≈ 42 gtt/min
3. (600 × 10) ÷ (4×60) = 25 gtt/min
4. (800 × 15) ÷ (6×60) = 33.33 ≈ 33 gtt/min
5. (200 × 60) ÷ (2×60) = 100 gtt/min

5. Dilution / C1V1=C2V2 – Answers

1. 100 × V1 = 20 × 50 → V1 = 10 mL
2. 200 × V1 = 50 × 100 → V1 = 25 mL
3. 50 × V1 = 10 × 25 → V1 = 5 mL
4. 80 × V1 = 20 × 40 → V1 = 10 mL

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Medical Math Practice Questions – Word Problems

1. IV Flow Rate (mL/hr) – 5 Questions

1. A dog needs 800 mL of fluids over 8 hours. What should the IV flow rate be?
2. A cat requires 1200 mL of fluid therapy over 6 hours. Calculate the flow rate in mL/hr.
3. A rabbit is prescribed 450 mL of IV fluids over 3 hours. Determine the flow rate.
4. A horse needs 1000 mL of fluids over 5 hours. Find the appropriate flow rate.
5. A ferret requires 600 mL of IV fluids over 4 hours. What should the flow rate be?

2. Time (hr) – 5 Questions

1. You are running 1000 mL of fluids at 250 mL/hr for a dog. How long will it take to finish?
2. A cat is receiving 500 mL of fluids at 125 mL/hr. Calculate the total time required.
3. You need to infuse 750 mL at 150 mL/hr for a rabbit. How many hours will it take?
4. A horse is on 900 mL of IV fluids at 300 mL/hr. Determine how long the infusion will last.
5. A ferret needs 600 mL of fluids at 200 mL/hr. How long should the IV run?

3. Drug Amount (mg) – 5 Questions

1. A dog is prescribed a 2 mg/mL medication, and you need 50 mL. How many mg of drug are needed?
2. A cat requires 100 mL of a 5 mg/mL solution. Calculate the total drug dose in mg.
3. A rabbit needs 25 mL of a 10 mg/mL medication. Determine the total amount of drug in mg.
4. A horse is prescribed 200 mL of a 1.5 mg/mL solution. How much drug is required?
5. A ferret requires 60 mL of a 4 mg/mL medication. Find the total dose in mg.

4. Drip Rate (gtt/min) – 5 Questions

1. You need to infuse 500 mL of fluids over 5 hours using an IV set with a drop factor of 15 gtt/mL.
What is the drip rate?
2. A cat is to receive 1000 mL of fluids over 8 hours. The IV tubing has a drop factor of 20 gtt/mL.
Calculate the gtt/min.
3. A rabbit needs 600 mL over 4 hours with a 10 gtt/mL IV set. Determine the drip rate.
4. A horse requires 800 mL over 6 hours. Using a 15 gtt/mL set, what should the drip rate be?
5. A ferret is given 200 mL over 2 hours with a microdrip set of 60 gtt/mL. Calculate the drip rate.

5. Dilution / C1V1=C2V2 – 5 Questions

1. You have a stock solution of 100 mg/mL, and you need 50 mL of a 20 mg/mL solution. How much
stock solution should you use?

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Electrocardiography Principles

Electrical potential vectors can present heart depolarization and repolarization. An ECG is a recording of the summation of
electrical potential vectors from the cardiac conduction system and multiple fibers of the myocardium. Body fluids conduct
the electrical potentials to the body surface. From there, the potentials can be recorded.

The ECG Naming Sequence

The ECG is performed by placing one electrode (white) on the right forelimb and one (black) on the left forelimb. A red
electrode is placed on the left hindlimb and a green one on the right hindlimb.

Perform an ECG in the following circumstances:

 To investigate arrhythmia

 To obtain information concerning chamber enlargement

 To assess electrolyte disturbances

 To monitor the heart during anesthesia

 To assess the effectiveness of anti-arrhythmia treatment

 To determine heart rate when a patient is shaking too much or panting too hard to hear or palpate for heart
rate/pulse

Repolarization follows depolarization. The electrical activity is represented on an ECG by the following waveforms.

Select each tab to learn more.

P Wave
Represents the summation of ventricular depolarization and
repolarization and varies inversely with HR
PR Interval
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Emergency Care and Resuscitation Area

A crash cart is an easily accessible location for emergency drugs and equipment.

Crash carts should contain at least the following items:

 Emergency medications

 Syringes and needles

 Laryngoscope

 Endotracheal tubes

 Ambu (artificial manual breathing unit) bag

 Catheters

 Instrument packs (in larger crash carts)

An Emergency Crash Cart for Critical Care at the Hospital

Shock and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome

Shock is a complex syndrome resulting in altered blood flow or impaired oxygen delivery to tissues. There's inadequate
blood flow and subsequent lack of sufficient oxygen to vital organs. The different categories of shock are described below.

Select each tab to learn more about the different categories of shocks.
 Hypovolemic Shock
Hypovolemic shock is the most common type of shock seen in dogs and
cats. It's a result of decreased blood volume and is usually caused by
Distributive Shock trauma, hemorrhage, severe vomiting, or diarrhea.

Signs include prolonged CRT, weak pulses, pale mucous membranes,

Obstructive Shock and altered mentation. It can be treated by restoring intravascular
volume through IV fluids or blood transfusion.
Cardiogenic Shock

Septic Shock

Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) consists of widespread tissue damage, hypoxia, and inflammation that
can accompany shock. Box 25.2 in the textbook lists various causes of SIRS. SIRS is characterized by widespread
vasodilatation, hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnea, fever, and alterations in leukocyte counts.

Damage of endothelium initiates platelet activation and a clotting cascade. The clotting factors are depleted, leading to
spontaneous bleeding. This simultaneous clotting (thrombosis) and bleeding is called disseminated intravascular
coagulation (DIC) and is often fatal. Permanent organ failure can occur with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome
(MODS), another complication of shock.

Treatment involves administering IV fluids, vasopressors, and antibiotics; blood transfusion; and mechanical ventilation.
The prognosis for DIC and MODS is poor.

Quick Check

What is an artificial manual breathing unit called?

Pulse oximeter Ambu bag

Stethoscope Nebulizer
 QRS Complex

T Wave

QT Interval

Lesson 3 Section 1 Practice

Practice: Patient Monitoring

Question 1

_Patients in lateral recumbency position for long periods of time need to be rotated every few hours to prevent which of the following?

a. Presence of phlebitis

b. Increased stress

c. Lung collapse

Question 2

The _______ represents the repolarization of the ventricles.

a. Q-T interval

b. Q wave

c. P-Q interval

d. T wave

Question 3

The recommended rate of compression for large dogs is _______ per minute.

a. 100

b. 60

c. 180

d. 130

Answers

Question 1: Patients in lateral recumbency position for long periods of time need to be rotated every few hours to prevent lung collapse.

Question 2: The T wave represents the repolarization of the ventricles.

Question 3: The recommended rate of compression for large dogs is 100 per minute.
2. A stock solution of 200 mg/mL needs to be diluted to make 100 mL of 50 mg/mL. How much stock
solution is required?
3. You have 50 mg/mL stock solution and want 25 mL of 10 mg/mL solution. Determine the amount of
stock to use.
4. A stock of 80 mg/mL needs to be diluted to 40 mL of 20 mg/mL solution. How much stock solution is
needed?
5. You have a 60 mg/mL stock solution and need 30 mL of a 15 mg/mL solution. Calculate the stock
volume required.

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5. 60 × V1 = 15 × 30 → V1 = 7.5 mL

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 Total dose (mg)
Dosage rate (mg/min) =
Infusion time (min)

3️⃣ Metric Conversions

a) Mass - µg → mg:

µg
mg =
1,000
- mg → g:
mg
g=
1,000
- µg → g:
µg
g=
1,000,000
- lb → kg:

kg = lb × 0.4536

b) Time - Minutes → hours:

minutes
hours =
60
- Hours → minutes:

minutes = hours × 60

4️⃣ Quick Tips

• Liquid meds: mL = mg ÷ mg/mL

• IV gtt: gtt/min = (mL × drop factor) ÷ time (min)
• Dosage rate: mg/min = total dose ÷ infusion time (min)
• Divide daily doses to find per-administration dose
• Convert units carefully: mcg ↔ mg ↔ g; lb ↔ kg; hr ↔ min

This sheet includes all formulas covered in our session for medication and IV calculations.