A client is receiving a secondary infusion of azithromycin 500 mg in 500 mL of normal saline (NS) to be infused over 2 hours. The IV administration set delivers 10 gtt/mL. How many gtt/min should the nurse regulate the infusion? (Enter numerical value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest whole number.)

Here's how to calculate the infusion rate (gtt/min) for the nurse to regulate: 1. Volume of azithromycin solution: Volume = 500 mL (given) 2. Infusion duration: Duration = 2 hours (given) 3. IV administration set gtt/mL: Rate (gtt/mL) = 10 gtt/mL (given) 4. We need to find the rate (gtt/min) at which the solution should infuse to deliver the total volume (500 mL) over the specified duration (2 hours). Steps: a. Convert infusion duration from hours to minutes: Duration (minutes) = Duration (hours) x Minutes per hour Duration (minutes) = 2 hours * 60 minutes/hour Duration (minutes) = 120 minutes b. Calculate the total number of drops to be infused: Total drops = Volume (mL) x Rate (gtt/mL) Total drops = 500 mL * 10 gtt/mL Total drops = 5,000 drops c. Calculate the infusion rate (gtt/min): Infusion rate (gtt/min) = Total drops / Duration (minutes) Infusion rate (gtt/min) = 5,000 drops / 120 minutes Infusion rate (gtt/min) = 41.67 gtt/min (round to nearest whole number as requested) Therefore, the nurse should regulate the infusion at approximately 42 gtt/min.