A patient weighing 136 pounds is prescribed alteplase 0.9 mg/kg. What is the total dose in milligrams (mg)?

A patient weighing 136 pounds is prescribed alteplase 0.9 mg/kg. What is the total dose in milligrams (mg)?

• A. 50 mg
• B. 56 mg
• C. 60 mg
• D. 63 mg

Answer: (B)

The key idea is weight-based dosing: you convert the patient's weight to kilograms and multiply by the drug’s mg per kg dosage, then round to a practical amount. First convert 136 pounds to kilograms: 136 ÷ 2.2046 ≈ 61.7 kg. Multiply by 0.9 mg/kg: 61.7 × 0.9 ≈ 55.5 mg. Rounding to the nearest whole mg gives 56 mg. This amount is below the maximum dose of 90 mg, so no adjustment is needed. So the total dose should be about 56 mg.

The key idea is weight-based dosing: you convert the patient's weight to kilograms and multiply by the drug’s mg per kg dosage, then round to a practical amount.

First convert 136 pounds to kilograms: 136 ÷ 2.2046 ≈ 61.7 kg. Multiply by 0.9 mg/kg: 61.7 × 0.9 ≈ 55.5 mg. Rounding to the nearest whole mg gives 56 mg. This amount is below the maximum dose of 90 mg, so no adjustment is needed. So the total dose should be about 56 mg.