For a dose of cefaclor at 500 mg, if the available suspension is 250 mg/5 mL, how much should the nurse administer per dose?

To determine the correct volume of cefaclor suspension to administer, you first need to establish how many milligrams are contained in each milliliter of the available suspension. The suspension available is 250 mg per 5 mL. This means that each mL contains 50 mg of cefaclor (250 mg divided by 5 mL).

Next, since the ordered dose is 500 mg, you can calculate how many mL of the suspension are required to reach this dose. Dividing the ordered dose of 500 mg by the concentration of cefaclor in the suspension (50 mg/mL) gives:

500 mg ÷ 50 mg/mL = 10 mL.

Thus, the nurse should administer 10 mL of the cefaclor suspension to deliver the prescribed 500 mg dose.

This thorough breakdown of how to arrive at the correct volume illustrates the necessary steps in dosage calculations, ensuring a proper understanding of how to handle similar scenarios in practice.