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    Hesi rn 301 pharmacology final exam

    Based on the capillary glucose measurement, a client is to receive 10 units of regular insulin. The client's medication drawer contains one vial of a 70/30 mixture of regular Insulin and Isophane insulin How should the nurse prepare the prescribed dose?

    Explanation & Rationale

    A) Pull up 30 units from the 70/30 vial, but only administer one third: The 70/30 insulin vial contains a mixture of 70% isophane (NPH) insulin and 30% regular insulin. If 30 units of this mixture are drawn, the actual amount of regular insulin would be 30% of 30 units, which equals 9 units. This does not equate to the 10 units of regular insulin required, making this option inaccurate for precise dosing. B) Withdraw ten units regular insulin from the 70/30 vial: The 70/30 vial provides a fixed ratio of regular to NPH insulin. Extracting 10 units from this vial would not yield exactly 10 units of regular insulin; instead, it would include both types in the specified ratio, leading to an incorrect dosage of regular insulin. C) Withhold the dose until insulin regular is available on the unit: Since the 70/30 vial contains a mixture and not solely regular insulin, it is necessary to withhold the dose until a vial of regular insulin is available. This ensures that the precise amount of regular insulin needed is administered, avoiding the imprecision and potential errors that could arise from using a mixed insulin vial. D) Obtain a new vial of regular insulin and withdraw ten units: While obtaining a new vial of regular insulin is the correct approach for ensuring accurate dosing, the option of withdrawing ten units directly from a vial of regular insulin is not feasible if the current medication available is a mixture. This option assumes that the correct type of insulin is already available for use.

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