A nurse is preparing to administer prednisolone 2 mg/kg/day PO divided in equal doses every 12 hr to a toddler who has acute asthma and weighs 26lb. Available is prednisolone syrup 15 mg/5 mL. How many mL should the nurse administer per dose? (Round the answer to the nearest tenth. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)

Step-by-Step Solution: Convert the toddler's weight from pounds to kilograms. 1 pound= 0.453592 kilograms. 26 pounds = 26 x 0.453592 = 11.793592 kilograms. Calculate the total daily dose of prednisolone. The prescribed dose is 2 mg/kg/day. The toddler weighs 11.793592 kg. Total daily dose = 2 mg/kg/day x 11.793592 kg = 23.587184 mg/day. Determine the dose per administration. Total daily dose is divided into two equal doses (every 12 hours). The dose per administration = 23.587184 mg/day / 2 = 11.793592 mg per dose. Calculate the volume of prednisolone syrup to administer. The available prednisolone syrup is 15 mg/5 ml. To find the volume, we can set up a proportion: 15 mg / 5 ml = 11.793592 mg / x ml Cross-multiplying: 15x = 5 x 11.793592 Solving for x: x = (5 x 11.793592) / 15 = 3.931197 ml Round the answer to the nearest tenth. ​​3.9 mL