How to Calculate IV Dilution Ratio

Knowing the dilution ratio of an intravenous (IV) solution allows accurate administering of medicine. Many drugs administered intravenously are diluted in a liquid saline solution. Knowing the concentration of the solution allows the nurse or doctor to calculate the total volume to be given to a patient over time, which corresponds to the dosage of the drug required. The dilution ratio is simply the amount of the drug divided by the total solution volume.

Instructions

• 1

  Find out the volume of the drug and the volume of the saline solution. For example, a doctor may ask to combine 10 ml of a certain drug into a 500 ml solution.

• 2

  Add the volumes together to acquire the total solution volume. In the example, the 10 ml drug volume is added to the 500 ml solution volume, resulting in a total volume of 510 ml.

• 3

  Divide the drug volume by the total volume. In the example, divide the 10 ml drug volume by the 510 ml total volume. This results in a dilution ratio of 1.96 percent.