The healthcare provider prescribes 1 unit (350 mL) of packed red blood cells (PRBC) to infuse over 4 hours. The IV administration set delivers 15 gtt/mL. How many gtt/min should the nurse regulate the infusion? (Enter the numeric value only. Round to the nearest whole number.)

To calculate the drip rate for an IV, you can use the formula: (Volume to be infused (mL) x Drop factor (gtt/mL)) / Time (min). For the prescribed 1 unit of PRBC at 350 mL to be infused over 4 hours with a drop factor of 15 gtt/mL, the calculation would be: (350 mL x 15 gtt/mL) / (4 hours x 60 minutes/hour). This simplifies to (5250 gtt) / (240 min), which equals 21.875 gtt/min. When rounded to the nearest whole number, the nurse should regulate the infusion to 22 gtt/min.