A client receives a prescription for 1 L of lactated Ringer's IV to be infused over 12 hours. The IV administration set delivers 15 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.)

To calculate the flow rate in gtt/min, you can use the formula: (Volume in mL * Drop factor) / Time in minutes. For 1 L of lactated Ringer's IV, which is 1000 mL, to be infused over 12 hours, with an IV administration set that delivers 15 gtt/mL, the calculation would be: (1000 mL * 15 gtt/mL) / (12 hours * 60 minutes/hour). This simplifies to (15000 gtt) / (720 minutes), which equals approximately 20.83 gtt/min. Therefore, the nurse should regulate the infusion to 21 gtt/min, rounding to the nearest whole number.