Calculate IV Pump Rates (mL/hr) based on mcg/kg/min dosage.
Required Flow Rate:
0.00 mL/hr
How to Calculate Weight-Based Infusion Rates
In critical care and emergency medicine, many vasoactive medications (like Dopamine, Dobutamine, or Norepinephrine) are ordered in micrograms per kilogram per minute (mcg/kg/min). Because IV pumps are programmed in milliliters per hour (mL/hr), nurses and clinicians must accurately convert these units.
While digital tools help reduce human error, always perform a manual "sanity check" or have a second clinician verify your math when dealing with high-alert medications. Ensure that the units of measurement (mg vs. mcg) are consistently applied throughout the calculation.
function calculateInfusionRate() {
var weight = parseFloat(document.getElementById("patientWeight").value);
var dose = parseFloat(document.getElementById("desiredDose").value);
var mgAmount = parseFloat(document.getElementById("drugAmount").value);
var volume = parseFloat(document.getElementById("bagVolume").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("infusionResult");
var output = document.getElementById("rateOutput");
var details = document.getElementById("concentrationDetail");
if (isNaN(weight) || isNaN(dose) || isNaN(mgAmount) || isNaN(volume) || weight <= 0 || volume <= 0) {
alert("Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields.");
resultDiv.style.display = "none";
return;
}
// 1. Calculate concentration in mcg/mL
var mcgTotal = mgAmount * 1000;
var concentration = mcgTotal / volume;
// 2. Calculate mL/hr
// Formula: (mcg/kg/min * kg * 60) / concentration
var mlPerHour = (dose * weight * 60) / concentration;
// 3. Display Results
output.innerHTML = mlPerHour.toFixed(2) + " mL/hr";
details.innerHTML = "Drug Concentration: " + concentration.toLocaleString() + " mcg/mL";
resultDiv.style.display = "block";
}