A patient needs 60 mg of medication per kg. How many grams must you give to a patient that weighs 220 lbs?

Hint: There are 2.2 lbs per kg.



Answer :

Sure! Let's break down this problem step-by-step.

1. Given Information:
- The patient needs 60 mg of medication per kilogram of body weight.
- The patient weighs 220 pounds.
- There are 2.2 pounds in a kilogram.

2. Convert the patient’s weight from pounds to kilograms:
Since there are 2.2 pounds in a kilogram, we can convert the weight from pounds to kilograms by dividing the patient's weight in pounds by 2.2.

[tex]\[ \text{Weight in kg} = \frac{220 \, \text{lbs}}{2.2 \, \text{lbs/kg}} \][/tex]

Calculating this gives:

[tex]\[ \text{Weight in kg} \approx 100 \, \text{kg} \][/tex]

3. Calculate the required medication in milligrams:
The dosage required is 60 mg of medication per kilogram of body weight:

[tex]\[ \text{Medication in mg} = 60 \, \text{mg/kg} \times \text{Weight in kg} \][/tex]

Substituting in the weight in kilograms:

[tex]\[ \text{Medication in mg} = 60 \, \text{mg/kg} \times 100 \, \text{kg} = 6000 \, \text{mg} \][/tex]

4. Convert the medication from milligrams to grams:
There are 1000 milligrams in a gram, so we divide the amount of medication in milligrams by 1000 to convert to grams:

[tex]\[ \text{Medication in grams} = \frac{6000 \, \text{mg}}{1000 \, \text{mg/g}} \][/tex]

Calculating this gives:

[tex]\[ \text{Medication in grams} = 6 \, \text{g} \][/tex]

So, you need to give the patient approximately 6 grams of medication.