A client is receiving a secondary infusion of vancomycin 1,500 mg in 250 mL to be infused over two 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 to be infused = 250 mL Identify the infusion time in minutes: Infusion time = 2 hours x 60 minutes/hour = 120 minutes Drop factor of the IV administration set = 10 gtt/mL Calculate the total number of drops to be infused: Total drops = Total volume (mL) x Drop factor (gtt/mL) = 250 mL x 10 gtt/mL = 2500 gtt Calculate the infusion rate in drops per minute (gtt/min): Infusion rate (gtt/min) = Total drops / Infusion time (minutes) = 2500 gtt / 120 minutes =20.83 gtt/minute Round to the nearest whole number: = 21 gtt/minute