The healthcare provider (HCP) prescribes one litre of normal saline to infuse over 12 hours. The IV administration set delivers 20 gtt/mL. How many gtt/minute should the nurse regulate the infusion? (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 Drop factor of the IV administration set = 20 gtt/mL Calculate the total number of drops to be infused: Total drops = Total volume (mL) x Drop factor (gtt/mL) = 1000 mL x 20 gtt/mL = 20000 gtt Calculate the infusion time in minutes and then the infusion rate in drops per minute: Infusion time (minutes) = Infusion time (hours) x 60 minutes/hour = 12 hours x 60 minutes/hour = 720 minutes Infusion rate (gtt/minute) = Total drops / Infusion time (minutes) = 20000 gtt / 720 minutes ≈ 27.77 gtt/minute Round to the nearest whole number: Rounded infusion rate = 28 gtt/minute