What is the glucose infusion rate (mg/kg/min) for a 3.0 kg infant receiving 80 cc/kg/day of D10W?

• A. 6.5 mg/kg/min
• B. 7.5 mg/kg/min
• C. 5.0 mg/kg/min
• D. 5.5 mg/kg/min

Answer: (D)

Glucose infusion rate is the amount of dextrose delivered per kilogram per minute. D10W has 100 mg of dextrose per milliliter. With 80 mL/kg/day for a 3.0 kg infant, the total daily volume is 240 mL, containing 24,000 mg of dextrose (240 mL × 100 mg/mL). Per kilogram per day, that’s 24,000 mg ÷ 3 kg = 8,000 mg/kg/day. Converting to per minute by dividing by 1,440 minutes in a day gives 8,000 ÷ 1,440 ≈ 5.56 mg/kg/min, which rounds to 5.5 mg/kg/min.