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.)

Calculation: Total volume = 500 mL. Total infusion time and convert to minutes. Infusion time = 2 hours = 2 hours x 60 minutes/hour = 120 minutes. Drip factor of the IV tubing = 10 gtt/mL. Calculate the infusion rate in drops per minute (gtt/min). Infusion rate (gtt/min) = (Total volume (mL) x Drip factor (gtt/mL)) / Total time (min) = (500 mL x 10 gtt/mL) / 120 min = 5000 gtt / 120 min = 41.666... gtt/min. Round to the nearest whole number = 42 gtt/min.