If a patient weighs 221 pounds and needs to receive a daily medication dose of 21 mg/kg, how many tablets should the patient take at each of the three meals? The medication comes in 175 mg tablets. (2.2 lbs = 1 kg) A. 6 tablets per dose B. 2 tablets per dose C. 10 tablets per dose D. 4 tablets per dose

Medicine · Middle School · Tue Nov 03 2020

Answered on


First, let's calculate the patient's weight in kilograms:

221 pounds×1 kg/2.2 pounds = 100.45 kg

The daily medication dose required based on the patient's weight is:

21 mg/kg×100.45 kg = 2109.45 mg

Now, this total daily dose needs to be divided into three equal doses for each meal. Therefore, let's find the dosage per meal:

2109.45 mg÷3=703.15 mg≈703 mg (rounded to the nearest whole number)

The medication comes in 175 mg tablets. To determine how many tablets should be taken at each meal:

703 mg per meal÷175 mg per tablet=4 tablets per meal

Therefore, the patient should take 4 tablets at each of the three meals to achieve the required dose. Therefore, the correct answer is D. 4 tablets per dose.