Question

The physician ordered Rocephin 50 mg/kg in two divided doses for a child who weighs 44 pounds.

Convert pounds to kilograms and then calculate

Answer 1

To convert pounds to kilograms, you can use the conversion factor \(1 \text{ pound} = 0.453592 \text{ kg}\).

First, let's convert 44 pounds to kilograms:

\[
44 \text{ pounds} \times 0.453592 \text{ kg/pound} \approx 19.96 \text{ kg}
\]

For the purpose of medication dosage, we can round this to 20 kg.

Now, the physician ordered Rocephin at a dose of 50 mg per kg. To calculate the total dose for the child:

\[
\text{Total dose (mg)} = 50 \text{ mg/kg} \times 20 \text{ kg} = 1000 \text{ mg}
\]

Since the total dose will be given in two divided doses, we can find out how much to give per dose:

\[
\text{Dose per administration (mg)} = \frac{1000 \text{ mg}}{2} = 500 \text{ mg}
\]

### Summary
- Weight in kg: \( \approx 20 \, \text{kg} \)
- Total dose of Rocephin: \( 1000 \, \text{mg} \)
- Dose per administration: \( 500 \, \text{mg} \) (in two divided doses)