A client is receiving one litre of D5W 0.45% normal saline IV every 8 hours by gravity infusion. The IV tubing has a drip factor of 12 gtt/mL. The nurse should regulate the IV to deliver how many drops per minute? (Enter numeric value only. If rounding is required, round to the nearest whole number.)

Total volume to be infused = 1 litre Convert the total volume from liters to milliliters: Total volume (mL) = Total volume (liters) x 1000 mL/litre = 1 litre x 1000 mL/litre = 1000 mL Identify the infusion time in minutes: Infusion time (minutes) = Infusion time (hours) x 60 minutes/hour = 8 hours x 60 minutes/hour = 480 minutes Drop factor of the IV tubing = 12 gtt/mL Calculate the total number of drops to be infused: Total drops = Total volume (mL) x Drop factor (gtt/mL) = 1000 mL x 12 gtt/mL = 12000 gtt Calculate the infusion rate in drops per minute (gtt/min): Infusion rate (gtt/min) = Total drops / Infusion time (minutes) = 12000 gtt / 480 minutes = 25 gtt/minute