The nurse has an order to give 500 mL of 0.45% NS over 12 hours. The IV set has a drop factor of 10. How many gtts/min should the client receive? Fill in the blank.

The client should receive 7 gtts/min.

Solve using the formula: (volume (mL) × drop factor (gtts))/time (min) = flow rate in gtts/min. Convert hours to minutes: 12 × 60 = 720 min Input into formula and solve: (500 mL × 10 gtts)/720 min. 5000/720 = 6.94 = 7 gtts/min.