While setting up an infusion of 1 g of medication diluted in 100 mL over 1 hour, the nurse discovers that the electronic pump is unavailable. The manual IV tubing has a drop factor of 15 gtt/mL. What should the manual drip rate be set to deliver the correct infusion?

A. 50 gtt/min: This rate would deliver the 100 mL infusion in only 30 minutes, which is twice as fast as the prescribed rate. Rapid infusion of certain medications can lead to adverse effects or toxicity. Accurate calculation is essential when an electronic pump is not available. B. 25 gtt/min: The manual drip rate is calculated by multiplying the total volume (100 mL) by the drop factor (15 gtt/mL) and dividing by the time in minutes (60 min). 1500 divided by 60 equals 25. This ensures the 100 mL is delivered precisely over the 1-hour period. C. 75 gtt/min: This drip rate would result in the entire volume being infused in approximately 20 minutes. Such a high rate is incorrect for a 1-hour schedule and could cause fluid overload or infusion-related reactions. It significantly exceeds the required delivery speed of 1.67 mL per minute. D. 60 gtt/min: Setting the rate to 60 drops per minute would infuse the medication in about 25 minutes. This does not align with the prescribed 1-hour duration for the 100 mL volume. Proper use of the drip factor formula prevents such timing errors in manual administration.