An infusion set has a drop factor of 60 gtt/mL. To infuse 30 mL per hour, what is the drip rate in gtt per minute?

An infusion set has a drop factor of 60 gtt/mL. To infuse 30 mL per hour, what is the drip rate in gtt per minute?

• A. 15 gtt/min
• B. 60 gtt/min
• C. 3 gtt/min
• D. 30 gtt/min

Answer: (D)

Understanding how many drops per minute requires combining the infusion rate with the drop factor and converting hours to minutes. A drop factor of 60 gtt/mL means each milliliter yields 60 drops. At 30 mL per hour, the total drops per hour are 30 × 60 = 1800 drops. Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, the rate becomes 1800 ÷ 60 = 30 drops per minute. So the drip rate is 30 gtt/min.

Understanding how many drops per minute requires combining the infusion rate with the drop factor and converting hours to minutes. A drop factor of 60 gtt/mL means each milliliter yields 60 drops. At 30 mL per hour, the total drops per hour are 30 × 60 = 1800 drops. Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, the rate becomes 1800 ÷ 60 = 30 drops per minute. So the drip rate is 30 gtt/min.