The nurse works in the emergency department (ED) and is out of IV pumps. Fluids are being administered via gravity. A client is to have 1000 mL of normal saline to be infused over 10 hours. Available tubing has a drip factor of 10 gtt/mL. How many drops per minute will the nurse set the drip rate? Round to the nearest whole number. Record numeric answers only.

Calculation: Identify the total volume, time, and drip factor Total Volume: 1,000 mL Time: 10 hours × 60 = 600 minutes Drip Factor: 10 gtt/mL Calculate the drip rate Drip Rate (gtt/min) = (Total Volume × Drip Factor) ÷ Time Drip Rate = (1,000 × 10) ÷ 600 Drip Rate = 10,000 ÷ 600 Drip Rate ≈ 16.67 gtt/min Round to the nearest whole number = 17 gtt/min