In a patient weighing 80kg with a sodium deficit of 264 mEq, what is the infusion rate of 3% saline?

To determine the appropriate infusion rate of 3% saline, it's important to first understand the sodium content of the saline solution and the calculated sodium deficit.

3% saline contains approximately 513 mEq of sodium per liter (1000 mL). When addressing a sodium deficit in a patient, we want to understand how much sodium is needed to correct the deficit and how that translates into an infusion volume.

Given a sodium deficit of 264 mEq, we can calculate the volume of 3% saline required to provide this amount of sodium. If there are 513 mEq of sodium in one liter (1000 mL) of 3% saline, we can use the following formula to find the volume needed:

Volume (mL) = (Deficit in mEq / Sodium concentration in mEq/mL)

First, let's convert the concentration of sodium in 3% saline to mEq/mL:

513 mEq/1000 mL = 0.513 mEq/mL

Now we can solve for the volume:

Volume (mL) = 264 mEq / 0.513 mEq/mL ≈ 514 mL

Now that we know we need to administer approximately 514 mL of