Intravenous Medication Administration in Cardiac Care

A 68-year-old patient with congestive heart failure (CHF) is prescribed a continuous intravenous infusion of dobutamine to maintain a cardiac index (CI) of 2.5 L/min/m². The patient’s weight is 70 kg, and the dobutamine infusion solution is prepared as follows:

Dobutamine vial: 250 mg in 5 mL
Normal Saline (0.9% NaCl) bag: 500 mL
The dobutamine infusion rate is calculated using the following formula:

Dobutamine infusion rate (mL/hr)= (CI×BodySurfaceArea(BSA)×Dobutamineconcentration)/(60×patientweight)

Dobutamine infusion rate (mL/hr)=(60×patientweight)(CI×BodySurfaceArea(BSA)×Dobutamineconcentration)

To calculate BSA, use the Du Bois formula:

BSA=0.007184×(height in cm)0.725×(weight in kg)0.425BSA=0.007184×(height in cm)0.725×(weight in kg)0.425

The patient’s height is 165 cm.

Calculate the following:

The patient’s BSA.
The required dobutamine infusion rate in mL/hr to maintain a CI of 2.5 L/min/m².
How many milligrams of dobutamine will the patient receive in 6 hours?
How many hours will it take to infuse the entire 500 mL bag of Normal Saline?