The nurse is to administer 250 ml of packed red blood cells over 3 hours. The administration set delivers 20 gtt/mL. At what rate in gtt/min should the IV infuse? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number. Use a leading zero if it applies. Do not use a trailing zero.)

Calculation: Total volume = 250 mL. Infusion time = 3 hours = 3 hours x 60 minutes/hour = 180 minutes. Drop factor = 20 gtt/mL. Calculate the infusion rate in drops per minute (gtt/min). Infusion rate (gtt/min) = (Total volume (mL) x Drop factor (gtt/mL)) / Total time (min) = (250 mL x 20 gtt/mL) / 180 min = 5000 gtt / 180 min = 27.777... gtt/min. Round to the nearest whole number. = 28 gtt/min.