A client receives a prescription for oxytocin 2 milliunits/min IV for labor augmentation. The IV bag contains oxytocin 20 units in 1 liter of lactated Ringer's. How many mL/hour should the nurse program the infusion pump to deliver? (Enter numerical value only.)

Calculation: Determine the concentration of oxytocin in the IV solution in milliunits/mL: Total units of oxytocin = 20 units Convert units to milliunits: 20 units x 1000 milliunits/unit = 20000 milliunits Total volume of solution = 1 liter = 1000 mL Concentration = Total milliunits / Total volume = 20000 milliunits / 1000 mL = 20 milliunits/mL Calculate the desired dose per hour in milliunits: Desired dose per minute = 2 milliunits/min Desired dose per hour = 2 milliunits/min x 60 minutes/hour = 120 milliunits/hour Calculate the infusion rate in mL/hour: Infusion rate (mL/hour) = Desired dose per hour (milliunits/hour) / Concentration (milliunits/mL) = 120 milliunits/hour / 20 milliunits/mL = 6 mL/hour