Omotayo, 1 month old, is receiving ampicillin every 6 hours. The safe dose range is 200-400 mg/kg/day. What is the recommended daily dosage range for Omotayo, who weighs 11 pounds (about 5 kg)?

Omotayo, 1 month old, is receiving ampicillin every 6 hours. The safe dose range is 200-400 mg/kg/day. What is the recommended daily dosage range for Omotayo, who weighs 11 pounds (about 5 kg)?

• A. 11,000-44,000 mg/day
• B. 1,000-2,000 mg/day
• C. 1,100-4,400 mg/day
• D. 1,000-2,000 mg/dose

Answer: (B)

Dosing in pediatrics is based on mg per kilogram per day, so you convert the child’s weight to kilograms and multiply by the safe mg/kg/day range to get the total daily amount. Omotayo weighs about 5 kg. The safe daily range is 200–400 mg/kg/day. Multiply: - 5 kg × 200 mg/kg/day = 1,000 mg per day - 5 kg × 400 mg/kg/day = 2,000 mg per day So, the recommended daily dosage is about 1,000–2,000 mg. Given a 6-hour dosing schedule, that would be roughly 250–500 mg per dose. The other numbers would exceed the safe daily total or misstate per-dose amounts, so they don’t fit the dosing guideline.

Dosing in pediatrics is based on mg per kilogram per day, so you convert the child’s weight to kilograms and multiply by the safe mg/kg/day range to get the total daily amount.

Omotayo weighs about 5 kg. The safe daily range is 200–400 mg/kg/day. Multiply:

• 5 kg × 200 mg/kg/day = 1,000 mg per day

• 5 kg × 400 mg/kg/day = 2,000 mg per day

So, the recommended daily dosage is about 1,000–2,000 mg. Given a 6-hour dosing schedule, that would be roughly 250–500 mg per dose.

The other numbers would exceed the safe daily total or misstate per-dose amounts, so they don’t fit the dosing guideline.