NOVA Clinical Anesthesia Exam 1 Practice 2026 - Free Anesthesia Practice Questions and Study Guide

Drop factor tells you how many drops make up 1 mL. Macrodrip tubing delivers about 10–15 drops per mL, and is used when you’re delivering fluids at faster, less precise rates (typically greater than about 100 mL per hour). The option that lists 10–15 gtt/mL and an infusion rate greater than 100 mL/hr matches this description exactly. This reflects the practical use: when you need to push fluids in quickly, macrodrip is the go-to because the larger drops speed up administration and reduce the number of drops you must count.

For context, a microdrip setup commonly uses about 60 gtt/mL and is favored for slow, precise infusions, often at lower-than-100 mL/hr rates. The other choices either pair the macrodrip range with too slow a rate or use the microdrip drop factor, which doesn’t fit the described scenario. A quick check example: at 150 mL/hr with macrodrip (12 gtt/mL), you’d deliver about 30 gtt/min.